Stars In Her Eyes
by zokaizane
Summary: Sawada Tsunayoki is the Decimo's long lost twin, mocked by other hitmen for his inability to use Flames but admired for his great combat skills. Reborn Chaos, known as the World's Strongest Hitman, is focused on avenging Luce's death by any means necessary. Tsunayoki has to reveal his, or rather her,true identity when they are forced into marriage to keep peace.FemTsunaxAdultReborn
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't know _why_ I decided to do this, but my imagination just couldn't stay still, so here's a new story. As my long term readers know, there is some OOCness, especially in Reborn because the manga doesn't do enough to reveal his personality outside of 'tutor-mode', and though it is Fem!Tsuna, the lead will have a separate personality. Also, unlike my previous story, this is slightly AU. I tried to keep things canon in my last story, but in this one, though it also takes place between when the main KHR story takes place and the Future Arc, it's not _as_ canon as The End Was Just The Beginning was. Another disclaimer: there's no guarantees I'll finish this story. I'll try my hardest, but if I hit a wall I can't climb, then I'll be forced to drop it.**

 **All this being said, I still hope you all, old and new readers alike, will enjoy this story. The premise of this story is heavily based on I Think I _,_ a fanfiction by TooDarnLazy (if you are a fan of Fem!NaruSasu, I recommend you check it out). However, this is a different fandom and a different author, so there will be new and shocking elements that I add in myself.**

 **For readers that read my other stories, think of this as a dark AU of The End Is Just The Beginning. Tsuna still managed to bring peace to the mafia famiglias, but there are hairlines of distrust even between the Vongola and its closest allies, making the situation much more difficult to deal with. It's on this tension that I will build the conflict of this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any characters in KHR.**

 **EDIT: Omg I did NOT know Reborn's "real name" was Renato Sinclair and since I find that to be the coolest name ever, I'm editing the story to reflect this. I really should get off Tumblr...**

* * *

 **Three Years Ago…**

 **Paris, France**

 _It was raining._

 _The raindrops were falling hard, and everyone else had taken shelter where they could. Everyone was in such a rush that they didn't notice a young man under an isolated bridge, kneeling next to a woman who was fatally injured. The woman reached up to touch the man's face with her trembling fingers. Her other hand rested on her chest, where the blood that was oozing out of her wound continued to stain her white dress. Her breathing was growing more ragged, but she still managed to smile, gazing into his sorrow-filled black eyes with her calm blue ones._

 _"You know," she whispered as the light from her eyes began to fade. "Your sideburns are your most attractive feature,_

 _Renato."_

 _Her hand fell, and her body went limp. Renato clutched her hand, desperately hoping that the warmth wouldn't fade._

 _The thunder couldn't cover up his screams._

* * *

 **Present Day…**

It was raining.

Sawada Tsunayoki hated the rain.

He pulled his obsidian cloak closer around him and thanked the heavens for the umpteenth time that his brother made him waterproof it despite Tsunayoki's protests that the waterproofing would ruin the crimson silk interior.

"If only I was smart enough to do it with my other clothes," Tsunayoki muttered. "It's going to take ages to dry my fedora, and it's not easy to find another red one with a satin black band. My black suit will have to go to the dry cleaners _again_ , and my combat boots won't be wearable for a week at least." He gritted his teeth.

"I hate the rain."

Tsunayoki took a right and entered a plain looking office building. Anyone who looked at the building probably wouldn't take another glance at it, taking in its glass exterior in an instant. Tokyo was filled with these kind of buildings, and this office building was on the smaller side as well. A single sign, equally as unimpressive as the building itself, hung over the front door.

"Vongola Enterprises," said Tsunayoki, flatly reading the sign. "To the public eye, nothing more than a boring old business dealing in finances."

He nodded to the clerk, who took one glance at him before returning to his newspaper. Tsunayoki walked to the elevator and stepped in once the doors opened. However, instead of pressing one of the buttons leading to an upper floor, he stepped to the opposite side of the elevator and pressed his finger against the mirror. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a brilliant green light scanned his finger, and a whirling sound turned on as the mirror processed his fingerprint. After a click, a computerized voice spoke,

"Access granted. Elevator moving to floor B7."

 _But to the people that know who the Vongola are,_ he thought as the elevator brought him underground. The doors opened with a 'ding', revealing a huge open facility with several large rooms ranging from weapon experimentation room to interrogation rooms to information gathering centers.

 _This is the heart of the strongest mafia famiglia in the world._

Tsunayoki stepped out of the elevator and took a brief moment to look around. Every time he came, it always seemed like something was different. The Vongola's technology was top-of-the-line. There was always a new weapon in development or a new gadget to be tested, and the rooms constantly shifted as needed. This building was a living creature that changed with the minds of the geniuses that produced innovation after innovation. He walked around, entering a training room and admiring its sleek design. Standing there among all the raw intelligence that matched his own, Tsunayoki couldn't remember why he didn't come to visit more.

"Hey Flameless!"

Tsunayoki's mood immediately darkened as he turned to face the hostile trio that shouted at him. "Ah yes," he grumbled to himself. "This is why I don't visit."

"Flameless!" shouted the blonde, heavily built man that stood at the head of the group. "Listen to me when I talk to you!"

"Sorry Sora," said Tsunayoki sarcastically. "I was busy wondering how your tiny brain hasn't exploded yet from the effort it must have taken to form the bullshit that falls out of your mouth."

The trio bristled with anger. "You have some nerve talking to me like that, _Flameless_ ," hissed Sora. "Weakling."

"Oh?" Tsunayoki raised an eyebrow. "I'm the weakling? That's strange because I remember beating your ass into the ground last week at the Vongola Hitman Competition. If you would like a reminder, I would be happy to oblige."

"You son of a bitch!" Sora looked at the men by his side. "Toma! Rui! Grab him!"

"Sure thing boss," said Toma with a smirk.

"We'll show him what happens when you mess with the power of Flame users," said Rui, cracking his knuckles.

Tsunayoki rolled his eyes and let them approach him, but the moment Toma touched his shoulder, he grabbed his finger and forced it backwards, causing it to break with a sharp 'crack'. Toma screamed in agony, but Tsunayoki wasn't done with him yet. He braced his foot against Toma's knee and flipped him over, smashing him into the floor and knocking him unconscious. Taking advantage of Rui's momentary shock, he drove his elbow into Rui's abdomen, knocking the breath out of him and leaving him gasping on the floor. Tsunayoki ran his hand through his long light brown hair, pulled back in a ponytail, in exasperation.

"Are you done yet?" he asked Sora, who was trembling with rage at this point. "Or are you going to run at me too?"

"You—you bastard!" snarled Sora. He snatched a pair of nun chucks from a nearby rack. "You can't do anything against the power of Flames!" Tsunayoki felt a tingling sensation in the back of his throat, and he cursed under his breath.

"Of course he has to show off his damn Lightning Flames," he muttered, reaching into his left boot to pull out a slender black stick.

"What are you going to do, poke me into submission?" crowed Sora.

Tsunayoki only sighed and flicked his wrist. The pole extended outward, becoming twice its original length.

 _It's been awhile since I used my baton_ , he thought as he twirled it a few times. _I hope I'm not getting soft._

Brimming with arrogance, Sora charged at him and swung the nun chucks, cracking with electricity, towards him. Tsunayoki blocked his blow with his baton, and when Sora tried to discharge his Flames, Tsunayoki cut through them with ease, nullifying their power and dissipating them. Sora looked at him in shock.

"H-how?!" he stuttered moments before Tsunayoki smashed his baton into his head. He fell to the floor, and Tsunayoki curled his lips in disgust.

"I don't need Flames to deal with the likes of you," he spat. Stepping over him, he hurried out of the training room.

"Dammit," he said to himself. "I'm late, and nii-chan gets nervous when I'm late. I can't help dealing with idiots like Sora, though. The scientists might love having me around, but to the hitmen community, I'll always be an outcast simply because I can't use Flames."

Tsunayoki walked briskly to his brother's office, but he was still grinding his teeth in anger. He was born with no affinity for any Flames whatsoever, and even though he still proved himself to be more powerful than many Flame-using hitmen, the jealous hitmen called him "Flameless". They mocked his inability to use such a basic yet vital skill, but Tsunayoki usually shut their mouths for them. As a result, he enjoyed the company of scientists, who viewed his disability as an opportunity to experiment with technology that could nullify Flames, hence the creation of Tsunayoki's baton. However, Tsunayoki was a hitman through and through, and he could never give up his lifestyle to enter the science field, so he endured the dirty looks and harsh words.

He didn't need their approval anyway.

Tsunayoki stopped in front of a solid oak door and knocked. Inside, he heard a loud "bang", followed by the sound of someone frantically grabbing at papers and cursing under his breath. Finally, after a minute or two, a man with spiky light brown hair and golden eyes that matched his own opened the door and poked his head out.

"Ah, you're here, Tsunayoki," said Sawada Tsunayoshi. Looking at Tsuna was like looking into a mirror for Tsunayoki. Though they were twins, they were separated at birth so that in the event that something would happen to one of them, the other would take the role of Vongola Decimo. Luckily, Tsuna didn't die, and they were reunited as soon as Tsuna accepted his position. Ever since then, they were as close as twins should be, and Tsuna often entrusted him with the most difficult missions that he knew only he could handle.

"Sorry about the delay, Tsuna-nii," said Tsunayoki with a grin. He entered the office and stared at the mounds of paperwork scattered all over the floor. "Shouldn't the Vongola Decimo's office be a little more clean and professional than this?"

Tsuna gave her a sheepish grin and sat down behind his desk. "I know my office is a mess," he said. "No one ever told me that there would be this much paperwork. I should've let you take the job."

"And you would be the one running around in the criminal underworld shooting people?" said Tsunayoki with a snort. "I don't think you'd last a day."

"If this paperwork continues to pile up like this, I think I'll take my chances on the street," said Tsuna darkly.

"Let's be honest though, there's no way I could've done everything that you have," said Tsunayoki, amused. "You established an all-encompassing peace among the mafia famiglias in the form of the Vongola Grand Alliance. I would've just told them all to fight amongst themselves until they learn their lesson."

"I was always the more logical twin."

Tsunayoki laughed and settled into the arm chair in the corner, pulling off his damp black gloves. "So, why'd you call me in, Tsuna-nii?" he asked, looking at the bookshelves. "Got another impossible mission for me?"

Tsuna didn't reply. Tsunayoki looked over at him and saw that his relaxed demeanor had dropped, and he was sitting stiffly with an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.

"Tsuna-nii?" asked Tsunayoki suspiciously. "Is there something wrong?"

"Sawada Tsunade."

Tsunayoki immediately shot up out of his chair, glaring at Tsuna. "Tsuna!" he yelled.

Tsuna raised a hand to calm him down. "This room is perfectly sound-proof, I can assure you of that," he said reassuringly. "No one can listen in." Tsunayoki reluctantly sat down, but his entire body was on edge.

"Sawada Tsunade," said Tsunayoki flatly. "I haven't heard that name in a very long time."

"Nearly four years, to be exact," said Tsuna with a sigh. "Not since The Puppeteer incident."

Tsunayoki's frown deepened. "Did he do it again? What did he leave this time?"

Tsuna passed him a manila folder containing several photos. Tsunayoki took out one of the photos, and cringed.

"He made another one of his human marionettes again," said Tsuna in disgust. "Unfortunately, he was more brutal this time, keeping the victim alive as long as possible as he cut off all of the victim's limbs and sewed them close, reattaching them with a single black cord and connecting them all to a large wooden cross. Cause of death is most likely exsanguination due to the many wounds inflicted."

Tsunayoki let out a breath slowly, still staring at the photos. Ever since The Puppeteer appeared about four years ago, he made several forms of "art" using humans with each work more gruesome than the last. The Vongola were always the first ones on the scene, and Tsunayoki was usually sent to examine the scene because of her history with The Puppeteer…a past that very few knew about because of its highly classified nature.

"However, this is not the whole reason I called you here," said Tsuna gravely. "We were not the first ones on site this time. Somehow, the Giglio Nero famiglia beat us to it, and you _know_ how they feel about The Puppeteer. What's worse is that they found the clue that we always removed from the scene:

The black rose."

Tsunayoki inhaled sharply, dropping the photos in surprise. Then, he stood up and kicked the chair he was sitting on, cursing loudly. Tsuna watched him for a minute before Tsunayoki finally calmed down.

"Do they know?" demanded Tsunayoki.

"Yes," said Tsuna with a deep sigh. "And despite Yuni's best efforts, they're angry that we hid this connection to one of our famiglia members. They're claiming this is a direct violation of the Vongola Grand Alliance, and they demand an explanation. For obvious reasons, we can't release details about your connection to The Puppeteer, but your reputation as the Black Rose Hunter has made it difficult to appease the Giglio Nero famiglia. After extensive discussion, Yuni and I have reached some sort of a compromise that will keep the peace for now. Since it's obvious to the Giglio Nero famiglia that The Puppeteer has some vendetta against the Black Rose Hunter, you will have to act as bait until The Puppeteer is caught. That means that a member of the Giglio Nero famiglia will be with you at all times to ensure that you are playing your role well."

"What's the catch?" asked Tsunayoki flatly, narrowing his eyes. "I've been using myself as bait for years, and adding a Giglio Nero tail will not change anything. However, you look more nervous than you should be, which means there's something else you haven't told me." He glared at Tsuna. "Spill it, Tsuna-nii. You know you can't lie to these eyes. I can literally _see_ your anxiety."

"I really can't hide anything from you, can I?" said Tsuna, chuckling bitterly. "I guess that's what happens when your twin has eyes that can see emotions in the form of auras. People make fun of you for lacking flames, but your eyes make up for that."

Tsunayoki crossed his arms and waited for Tsuna to tell him whatever he was hiding.

"Remember how all the Arcobaleno joined the Giglio Nero famiglia as Yuni's guardians after the curse was broken?" asked Tsuna. Tsunayoki nodded. As the Princess of the Arcobaleno, Yuni technically was the boss of the Arcobaleno, so they left their old famiglias to follow her, though Reborn, Colonello, and Lal Mirch didn't leave until they were sure Tsuna's position was stable. All of them, except Lal Mirch, became her guardians based on their respective pacifiers, and even though they rarely got along, they were always there to protect Yuni.

"They are the most furious over this development, and even Yuni is unable to pacify them. They demand that an Arcobaleno be the one to kill The Puppeteer, and so the tail must be with you even in your private life. Because of this, we had to add an additional clause in our compromise.

You are to marry Reborn."

There was a brief moment of silence as Tsunayoki struggled to process Tsuna's words, and then he slammed his fists on the table in fury.

"What?! Are you kidding me?!"

"I wish I was," said Tsuna wearily. "You might as well deactivate the illusion device now. You won't be needing it anymore, Tsunade."

Tsunayoki cursed and pulled a small box from his pocket. "I should've known something was up when you called me by that name," he muttered angrily. "I have to reveal my biggest secret all because of the damn Puppeteer!" He pressed a button on the box.

"Everyone is going to know I'm actually a girl!"

Tsuna watched as his twin's face seemed to magically become more feminine. It became less angular, and his, or rather her, cheekbones were slightly higher. Her jawline softened and her lips grew slightly plumper, but her eyes remained sharp and were brimming with anger.

"How could you, Tsuna?!" yelled Tsunade, her voice slightly higher than it was before. "I never thought you'd force me into a political marriage!"

"I'm not forcing you into anything!" Tsuna yelled back. "You are 23 and capable of your own decisions."

"No one even knows I'm a girl!" snapped Tsunade. "There's no reason for me to get married to him!"

"Do you honestly think no one knows?" Tsuna shot back. "First, there's almost all of CEDEF, and Dad won't be happy with you living with any single man, even if it's Reborn. Then, there's all the power-hungry veteran mafiosos who have been with the Vongola since our grandfather was the boss and were probably some of the first to hear about our birth. They might be loyal to the famiglia, but they sure as hell aren't loyal to me until I prove myself, and if they hear that I let my sister live alone with a man, their old fashioned ideologies will kick in and immediately assume the worse."

Tsunade bit her lip. Tsuna was right. The older mafiosos were far more wary of Tsuna than the new mafiosos because his age made him seem inexperienced. Tsuna was being watched like a hawk, and neither of them wanted a scandal to undermine his authority.

Tsuna sighed. "Though the younger mafiosos don't know your identity, the older ones, the ones that wield considerable power and influence, know that Sawada Nana gave birth to a girl and a boy, and your actions reflect back on me. If you really didn't want to do this, I would never force you, but this is for the good of the famiglia and you know it."

Tsunade slumped back into her chair, defeated. "That's not fair," she said softly. "You know I would do anything for the famiglia."

Tsuna's eyes softened, and he stood up and walked to Tsunade's side. "I'm sorry," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're both the same. We place the wellbeing of the famiglia over our own. I'm sorry that I had to force this on you. It's my fault for not sending assets to the crime scene faster."

Tsunade laid her hand over his and squeezed it. "It's okay, Tsuna-nii," she said, though she sounded like she was in a daze. "Does Reborn know about this?"

"Yuni's probably breaking the news to him soon," said Tsuna. "We're having a joint meeting about this soon, and you'll have to come with me. This'll be a purely paper marriage, and after The Puppeteer is dealt with, you can both file for divorce. I know that this is your hardest mission yet, but if anyone can do it, it would be you."

Tsunade was silent for a second, and then she sighed. "All I have to do is agree to a paper marriage, act as bait until Reborn kills the Puppeteer, and then divorce him, right? The life of a hitman is full of sacrifices. I guess it's time for me to make another one."

"So you agree?"

She nodded.

"I'll marry Reborn."

* * *

It was raining.

Renato Sinclair, known to everyone else except those closest to him as Reborn Chaos, hated the rain.

"Why did Yuni have to call a meeting in this weather?" he grumbled. "I could've just met her at the Giglio Nero Headquarters, but she insisted to meet in a limousine, which means we're probably travelling somewhere." He brushed his wet hair out of his eyes in exasperation and walked faster, rushing towards where a limo was approaching the corner. Reborn darted across the intersection and caught the limo just in time, opening the door and quickly getting in.

"Hi there, Uncle," said the young girl with dark teal hair and beautiful blue eyes wearing a mushroom-like white cap, decorated with the Giglio Nero emblem on it and a long trench-coat like jacket with the same emblem at the bottom right and left sides.

"Hello, Yuni," said Reborn with a slight smile as he brushed the raindrops off his fedora. He's always had a soft spot for her. Since the Arcobaleno curse was broken, he had been growing at an accelerated pace, returning to his old 24 year old body in just 9 years. It no longer seemed weird that she would call him "Uncle" because he was now older than her.

"Sorry to call you out in such weather," said Yuni apologetically. "We're heading to the Vongola Headquarters to talk about The Puppeteer incident."

"I see," said Reborn, his tone quickly becoming serious. "I'm shocked dame-Tsuna would hide something about the investigation from us."

"I'm sure he had a good reason to do so," said Yuni quickly. "I'm surprised that you were able to get the intel that led us to The Puppeteer's crime scene before Tsuna did. The Vongola famiglia is usually the first ones on site."

"I have a new source," said Reborn evasively.

Yuni, realizing that Reborn wouldn't say more on the subject, sighed and continued her briefing. "However, as you know, the Giglio Nero famiglia, is furious."

"And rightfully so," said Reborn, clenching his fists. "After all,

The Puppeteer killed Luce."

The rumor that Luce died because of the Sky Arcobaleno curse was a lie. Instead, she secretly preserved her body in a machine that allowed her to cling onto life until the Arcobaleno curse was broken. Luce reappeared a year after Tsuna's training was complete, shocking all of the Arcobaleno. Reborn was angry with her for not telling him, but she said she didn't die because a vision from the future showed her that she still had a task to fulfill and the only way to stay alive was to leave the mafia world behind temporarily. Upon returning, Luce showed no interest in reclaiming the title of the Giglio Nero boss and became Reborn's partner instead. Together, they embarked on missions throughout the world for four years, until they were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. One fateful night, the pair ran into The Puppeteer, and though Reborn could've easily killed him, The Puppeteer revealed his powers and manipulated a crowd of people to form a human shield around him. Before escaping, The Puppeteer managed to stab Luce in the chest, and Reborn was helpless to do anything as she bled out.

 _It was raining then, too_ , thought Reborn bitterly. _Perhaps that's why I hate the rain so much._

"I know," said Yuni quietly, looking down at the floor. "Grandmother probably knew it would happen, too. Her powers were always much stronger than mine, but she never tried to mess with fate."

"I always hated that about her," said Reborn, his chest tightening with pain. "But that was part of who she was, a part of why I…"

Reborn trailed off. It was difficult for him to come to terms with the emotions he felt when Luce was alive, but now that she was dead, it was even harder to deny what he might have actually felt for her.

 _I might've actually fallen…_

Now, he was bent on revenge, determined to kill The Puppeteer even if it cost him his life.

There were too many words that were left unsaid.

"Anyway," said Yuni, returning to the subject of the meeting. "You saw the black rose, which you know probably refers to Sawada Tsunayoki, also known as the Black Rose Hunter."

Reborn nodded. What The Puppeteer wanted with Tsunayoki, Reborn didn't know. However, this was a huge step towards luring The Puppeteer out into the open, and Reborn was willing to do anything to catch him.

"As you can probably guess," continued Yuni. "Tsuna isn't too happy with the idea of us using his brother as bait, but he agrees that's it's necessary to keep the peace between our two famiglias. As for the tail, we agreed you would be the best for the job since both of us know and trust you, and because you are the most qualified to kill The Puppeteer. We are on the way to confirm the details of our agreement with Tsuna and Tsunayoki."

"I agree with these terms," said Reborn as the limo pulled up in front of the building labelled Vongola Enterprises. The two of them exited the limo and rushed into the building. Once they were in the elevator, Yuni laughed nervously.

"There's one additional part of the compromise that I haven't told you about," she said anxiously.

Reborn raised an eyebrow and frowned. _She obviously is not looking forward to telling me what this additional clause is,_ he thought as the elevator doors opened.

"For certain reasons, it would be very hard for the Tsunayoki to maintain his public image if you two were to be living together," said Yuni as they walked to Tsuna's office.

"His image?" scoffed Reborn. "How would it damage his reputation? There's nothing scandalous about two straight men living together."

Yuni let out a deep sigh. They arrived at Tsuna's office, and Yuni knocked on the door.

"Come in!" shouted Tsuna.

"I think it would be better for you to see for yourself," said Yuni as she pushed open the door.

Sitting at his desk, Tsuna looked the same as Reborn remembered him. He often came to visit the Vongola Decimo, even if they weren't members of the same famiglia anymore. After training Tsuna for nearly two years, Reborn had developed a very close bond with his No-Good student despite his harsh teaching methods. He was very reluctant to leave the Vongola famiglia, but Tsuna insisted that he should protect Yuni, and that he would be safe with the guardians Reborn handpicked for him. The two of them had a bond that crossed famiglias.

Reborn looked and saw that to Tsuna's right stood a brunette woman dressed in an all-black suit and combat boots, holding a red fedora in her left hand. She was scrutinizing him with her golden-brown eyes that were strikingly similar to Tsuna's.

"Long time no see, dame-Tsuna," said Reborn, tipping his fedora towards him. "Who's the young lady standing next to you?"

Tsuna looked at Yuni in surprise. "You haven't told him yet?" he asked.

"Told me what?" asked Reborn suspiciously. He didn't like the way this conversation was going.

Yuni sighed again. "This is Sawada Tsunade," she said wearily. "Tsuna's twin sister."

Silence.

A knife embedded itself next to Tsuna's head, causing him to jump in surprise.

"HIEEEEE!" shrieked Tsuna. "What was that for?!"

"I thought you only had a brother," said Reborn, his eyes glittering dangerously. "You know I don't like being lied to."

"I don't have a brother," said Tsuna, scratching his head while Tsunade pulled the knife out of the wall. "Sawada Tsunayoki doesn't exist. Tsunade decided to disguise herself using an illusion device to protect herself from her many enemies. She's been living under the guise of a male since we met her, but she only revealed her secret to me and Yuni."

"This is why it would damage her reputation if you two were to live in the same house," said Yuni. "She's the sister of the Vongola Decimo, after all. Because of this, the only way for you to be with her at all times, is if—"

Suddenly, Reborn's knife came flying back at him, and he barely moved out of the way in time.

"If you marry me."

Everyone turned to look at Tsunade, surprised by her sudden outburst.

"What?" said Tsunade, irritated. "It's my marriage. I should be the one to announce it since I obviously don't have control over anything else."

Tsuna fidgeted in his seat. "It's a paper marriage," he said hurriedly. "Its purpose is to simply make it socially acceptable for you to be with my sister while you hunt down The Puppeteer. You are welcome to void the marriage after The Puppeteer has been dealt with."

"I'm sorry, Uncle," said Yuni, taking a seat in an armchair. "This was the only way to satisfy both sides."

Reborn stared at Tsunade, who met his unwavering gaze. Golden eyes connected with obsidian ones. He could tell she was no happier about this situation than he was, but her eyes held the same fire as Tsuna's eyes. She would do anything for the Vongola famiglia, even if it meant marrying someone she only met a few times before. Reborn admired her dedication, and he saw the advantages in marrying her. The Puppeteer obviously had some fixation with her, so she was the perfect lure. This alone was the only reason he needed to marry her. Reborn would have his revenge on The Puppeteer, no matter the cost.

Tsuna pulled out two sets of papers and handed one to Reborn and the other to Tsunade. "This is the marriage contract," he explained. "You will sign two copies: one for the official record, and one for yourself. Once you sign these papers, you two will be officially engaged." He looked at the both of them. "Are you sure you both want to do this?"

"I think the decision has already been made for me, Tsuna-nii," said Tsunade bitterly, picking up a pen off the desk.

"It has been made for me as well," said Reborn, also picking up a pen.

"For the Vongola famiglia."

"For Luce."

The two of them signed the documents, binding their fate together in a way neither of them could have predicted.

* * *

 **A/N: Their relationship is off to a rocky start, and I can guarantee it'll stay tumultuous for quite a while. Please read and review to let me know what you guys think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm glad to have received such positive reviews on my first chapter! I was worried about rebuilding a reader base, but I'm happy that I've attracted some interest!**

* * *

 **Two weeks later…**

"Stop acting like you have a stick up your ass kora!" shouted a blonde man with striking light blue eyes and dressed in camouflage.

"Shut up, Colonnello," grumbled Reborn, throwing a shot glass at Colonnello's head. "I never asked you to drag me out for a damn bachelor's party anyway."

"You act like I _want_ to be here," retorted Colonnello, shooting the glass out of the air with his anti-tank rifle and shocking a few other patrons. "I'm only here because Lal Mirch asked me, saying something about if you're going to marry her former student, you better go through all the motions."

Even though Tsunade was already technically married to Reborn, Tsuna and Yuni decided that a wedding ceremony was necessary to appease both famiglias. The Giglio Nero famiglia had to be reassured that the Black Rose Hunter was being used to apprehend The Puppeteer, and the Vongola famiglia had to know that their beloved boss's sister wasn't doing anything scandalous. They managed to keep it a small ceremony limited to the famiglia's higher ups so that Tsunade's real gender wouldn't be completely revealed, but it still contained quite a few people.

Reborn sighed. "You two act like a married couple," he said. "Haven't you proposed to her several times already?"

"Yes," snapped Colonnello, obviously unhappy with this subject. "But she keeps breaking off the engagement over some stupid reason!"

"Maybe it's because you're such a pain in the ass."

"Do you want to fight kora?!"

"It'd be more interesting than trying to get drunk at a bar!"

"Let's calm down guys," said the third person at the table that Reborn and Colonnello overlooked in their argument.

"Shut up, Kureko!" growled Colonnello. "I'm going to splatter his brains all over the wall!"

Kureko ran a hand through his short black hair in exasperation. "Look, I don't think any of us came out tonight to get arrested," he said, glaring at Reborn and Colonnello. "So would you two _please_ stop pointing your weapons at each other! Especially you, Colonnello, your anti-tank rifle has a particularly strong shock factor."

Reluctantly, Reborn and Colonnello set their weapons down. Reborn had few people that he regarded as friends, but Kureko, an interrogator with the Giglio Nero famiglia, was one of them. They met after one of Reborn's first missions for the Giglio Nero famiglia, which involved bringing back an uncooperative informant. Kureko impressed Reborn with his talent for strategy and psychological manipulation, and after learning Kureko also had a Master's Degree in mathematics, the two of them became fairly close, discussing the various mechanics of mathematical theories with each other.

"I'm not fighting you just because you're getting married tomorrow kora," muttered Colonnello, sitting back down. "Otherwise I'd beat you into the ground."

"You know I'm only following through with this for Luce," said Reborn, crossing his arms. "The marriage itself means nothing to me."

"Even so, Tsunade is a good match for you," said Kureko. "If anyone can match your fighting prowess, it's her."

"I can't believe Yoki turned out to be a girl," said Colonnello, lighting a cigarette. "He—er—she certainly doesn't fight like it. Not that women are weak! Don't tell Lal Mirch I said that!"

Reborn smirked at the way Colonnello's voice became pleading when he mentioned Lal Mirch. "How great of a fighter is Tsunade? I've only heard rumors."

"You know how the Vongola Decimo began the Vongola Hitman Competition as a way to relieve the tension between famiglias in the alliance?" asked Kureko.

Reborn nodded. Tsuna was concerned that hitman within various famiglias would grow restless since they no longer had any reason to attack other famiglias. In order to avoid unnecessary conflict, Tsuna decided to hold an annual competition for all the best hitman from the famiglias to compete in as a sort of friendly sport. Though it seemed like a long shot to Reborn, it worked surprisingly well, and though Reborn never had any interest in competing, he occasionally helped decide the competition brackets.

"She's won almost every single competition since the event began," said Colonnello. "In fact, Tsuna had to ban her from competing every year four years ago and limited her participation to once every three years."

"What's more is that she inherited a rare bloodline trait from her mother," said Kureko, surprising Reborn.

Reborn raised an eyebrow. "From Nana? She's the most ordinary person I've met. Even now, she doesn't know Tsuna is involved with the mafia."

Colonnello snorted. "Iemitsu really does love Nana, but do you really believe the Vongola Nono would let his son marry just anyone? Nana's ancestors had what is referred to as the 'Fated Eyes'. If this trait manifests, the user is able to see and feel emotions. Yoki once explained it to me as 'seeing a moving shroud of colors around everyone. Depending on what the person is feeling, the shroud changes colors.' She can also tell if anyone is nearby because physical obstacles don't inhibit her ability."

"So if someone is lying or trying to sneak up on her, for example, she can tell instantly," Kureko explained. "This skill, in addition to her extensive knowledge of nonverbal body cues, makes her an excellent interrogator. If she wasn't such a skilled fighter, I'm sure Iemitsu would've asked her to become a CEDEF interrogator."

Reborn furrowed his brow. Something didn't add up. "I don't understand," he said, confused. "Listening to what you've said, it's obvious Tsunade is the stronger twin. In addition to that, she was raised in the mafia world, whereas Tsuna had a normal life with Nana until I came to tutor him. To me, it seems like she was much more suited to be the Vongola Decimo than Tsuna was when he started out, so why didn't Timoteo pick her?"

"First reason is that Tsuna is the older twin," said Kureko, leaning back in his chair. "However, the most likely reason why Tsunade wasn't the first choice for Decimo is because she can't use Sky Flames, or any Flames for that matter."

"Ah, I see," said Reborn. Sky Flames were absolutely necessary to being the Vongola Decimo because it was impossible to use the Ring of the Sky Version X, or any of Tsuna's equipment, without them.

"It's a huge disability," said Colonnello, taking a long draw on his cigarette. "Yoki can definitely hold his—her—own against Flame users, but she's an outcast in the hitman world. They call her 'Flameless'. Tsuna has the affinity for Sky Flames. Yoki has the 'Fated Eyes'. I guess this just goes to show that you can't inherit all the best qualities of your parents."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Reborn said with a sigh. "As long as she's strong enough to stay alive until The Puppeteer comes after her, I couldn't care less whether she can use Flames or not. How do you two know so much about her anyway?"

Kureko laughed. "You can thank Colonnello here for that. After she crushed him in the last Vongola Hitman Competition, he enlisted my help in finding her dossier."

Colonnello turned bright red and stamped out his cigarette "Shut your mouth kora!" he shouted at Kureko, who was still laughing. "Or else I'll shut it for you!"

Reborn let the two of them argue and got lost in his own thoughts. His fiancée was certainly an interesting character, and she had to be pretty strong to defeat Colonnello, but he still didn't see the connection between the Black Rose Hunter and The Puppeteer.

 _Luce…_

He was one step closer to avenging Luce, and this marriage was just a mere tool for him to use to achieve his goal. There would be no personal feelings involved.

Revenge was all that mattered.

* * *

 **The next day…**

"Come back here, Tsunade!" demanded a woman with straight black hair that reached halfway down her back.

"Like hell I'm letting you near my face with those tweezers, Keiko!" snapped Tsunade, storming out of the room. Keiko was an interrogator with CEDEF and practically grew up with Tsunade, who was raised by Iemitsu away from Tsuna. She was the one who convinced Tsunade to become Tsunayoki when Tsunade turned 13 because of the lecherous threats from hitmen that were already jealous of her obvious talent. Keiko was one of Tsunade's only friends, and Tsunade trusted Keiko with her life…

…just not her face.

"There's no reason why I have to wear makeup," said Tsunade, dodging Keiko's efforts to grab her.

"No reason?!" shouted Keiko. "Sawada Tsunade, you are getting married in _four hours_ , and you think there is no reason for you to put on makeup?! You've been living as a male for so long that you've lost your mind!"

Tsunade was about to reply when she felt a hostile, yet familiar, aura near her. She tackled Keiko to the floor just as three bullets flew over them.

"What's with all the ruckus?!" hissed a voice in the doorway. Tsunade looked up in exasperation at the blue haired woman wearing a brown tank top and blue skinny jeans whose shotgun was still smoking.

"Lal, please refrain from trying to kill me," said Tsunade. "I'm running for my life here."

"Making a mess is what you're doing!" replied Lal Mirch snarkily. "You're not the only one that lives here, you know. I don't pay rent to be a cleaning lady for two of my former trainees."

Tsunade sighed. Lal Mirch was the one who trained her and Keiko at CEDEF for ten years. An extremely no-nonsense person who hated jokes, Lal Mirch pushed them very hard and immediately recognized Tsunade's potential to surpass her strength and Keiko's talent at interrogation. Even after training and Lal Mirch's decision to join the Giglio Nero famiglia, the three of them still lived together in a modest apartment located in the suburbs.

"You're the reason why we're not getting the security deposit back," said Tsunade with a sigh.

"Whatever," muttered Lal Mirch, rubbing the flame-shaped scar on her face. "I accomplished what I intended to do."

Tsunade froze in horror as she realized that Keiko had her hands clamped down tightly on her wrists. She slowly turned to look at Keiko and cringed at the evil glare she received.

"Now, Tsunade darling," said Keiko darkly. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way."

Tsunade sighed deeply. "All right, I give up. This is what I get for having an interrogator and a hitman instructor as my roommates."

Keiko dragged her back to her room and promptly began plucking her eyebrows.

"You won't have us as roommates for much longer," said Lal Mirch, watching the scene with a smirk. "Congrats for snagging the World's Strongest Hitman as your husband."

"It's not like—ouch—I had a—ouch—choice," replied Tsunade through gritted teeth. "You both know it's—ouch—a political marriage."

"Speaking of marriage—stay still, Tsunade—when are you getting finally getting married to Colonnello?" Keiko asked Lal Mirch. "You two have been engaged on and off for several years already."

"We will get married when he stops being an infuriating pain in the ass!" snapped Lal Mirch, though Tsunade could see that she was blushing.

"Hurry up and get hitched already, Lal," said Keiko calmly. "Once you both move out, I can invite my boyfriend to move in."

"Kureko?" asked Tsunade. "The interrogator—ouch—that you've been working with—ouch—from the Giglio Nero famiglia? I think you two—ouch—will get married before—ouch—Lal and Colonnello do."

"Hey!" shouted Lal Mirch. Tsunade and Keiko laughed, and Keiko finally put down the tweezers.

"Before I continue, you need to put on your wedding kimono first," said Keiko, standing up and going to her closet.

Tsunade grimaced. The idea of a white wedding dress with a long train made her sick, but Reborn refused to wear anything other than a suit. As a result, Tsuna and Yuni agreed that a traditional Japanese wedding/Western wedding fusion was the best option, and Tsunade agreed simply because she didn't want to spend too long on wedding deliberations. However, she still wasn't particularly fond of women's clothing because she found them too restricting.

"You never see someone fight in a dress," muttered Tsunade as she threw on the under-kimono Keiko handed her.

"And for good reason," said Keiko. "Who would want to ruin this?" Keiko shook out the blue cloth, revealing a stunning kimono that transitioned from a deep cerulean blue at the bottom to a soft sky blue at the waist, then fading to a pure white at the top. Black roses were embroidered in a continuous line around the lower hem up to the waistline.

"I designed it myself," said Keiko proudly as Tsunade gaped at it. "I thought the blue would complement the gold of your eyes."

"It's actually very nice," said Tsunade grudgingly. "You could be a fashion designer if you weren't such a top notch interrogator."

Keiko beamed. "Thank you. Now, hurry up and put this on so we can move on to more serious makeup and hair."

"You girls seem to be having so much fun that I guess I'll join in," said Lal Mirch, smirking.

Tsunade groaned but didn't say anything, deciding that keeping her mouth shut would streamline the process. The other two women helped her put on the kimono and tie on the obi before moving on to hair and makeup. After a couple hours of protests and thinly veiled threats, they were finished. Lal Mirch and Keiko stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"Looks like the pain and suffering I experienced in the last two hours were worth it," said Lal Mirch with a smile.

"You're absolutely beautiful, Tsunade," said Keiko, beaming.

"That's funny," muttered Tsunade, though her ears were quickly turning red. "Last I checked, I was a hitman, and hitmen don't do beautiful."

Keiko rolled her eyes and dragged Tsunade over to the full length mirror. Looking at her reflection, Tsunade almost couldn't recognize herself. After being disguised as a male for so long, it was shocking for Tsunade to see herself in such feminine attire. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a Dutch Flower Braid, a nice deviation from Tsunade's usual simple ponytail, with a few loose wispy strands on both sides of her face. Her lips were a pale pink that suited her slightly tan complexion well, and Keiko's masterful use of eyeliner resulted in beautiful winged eyes that brought out the gold in her eyes.

"You are very beautiful," said Keiko softly. Tsunade blushed slightly.

Lal Mirch sighed. "Hurry up, girls," she said impatiently. "Keiko, don't forget we have to get dressed too."

Keiko shot up. "You're right! We better get started soon!"

Tsunade turned around to leave them alone, but she was surprised when Keiko suddenly hugged her.

"I know this is just a political marriage," said Keiko. "But I hope you can find happiness with Reborn, You've been through too much in the past already."

Tsunade stiffened, and her heart clenched. "Thanks Keiko," she said with a strained smile.

"Same from me," said Lal Mirch. "Who knows? Maybe the person you need in your life is an arrogant hitman tutor who refuses to get along with most people."

Tsunade smiled slightly, and Lal Mirch and Keiko went to their respective rooms to get dressed, leaving Tsunade to sit on her bed and think about Keiko's words. Reborn was already in love, and it wasn't with her. She remembered the way he said Luce's name. Tsunade knew Luce well, but she could never tell anyone about how they knew each other because her past…was classified, and it held too many painful memories for her to think about it.

 _He stood over her, clutching his eye in pain. With a deranged grin he stumbled back, and before he made his escape, he made a terrifying promise._

 _"I will destroy everything you love, Tsunade, because you destroyed the one thing that made me happy, and you know who I'll start with."_

She shook the thought out of her head violently. _This is just another mission,_ she thought, balling her hands into fists. _My personal emotions don't matter. I'm doing this for the Vongola._

 _My past doesn't mean a thing._

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to a Guest and Mingyu'sBabe for reviewing! Please Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you to all my new and old followers who have shone interest in this new story! I hope you enjoy this latest chapter**

* * *

Reborn observed Tsunade curiously, though his features were arranged into a calm façade. She was acting the part quite well, standing across from him with a demure smile on her face, but upon closer inspection, Reborn could see that the smile was plastered on, and she was standing very stiffly. Tsunade's golden eyes were dull, and her mind was probably miles away.

 _She really does not want to do this_ , he realized. _If I didn't need her to catch The Puppeteer, I would've cancelled the marriage out of pity._

He had been surprised to see her in the wedding kimono. Though she revealed her true gender to him two weeks ago, she still stubbornly used her illusion device whenever they had to meet up. Reborn assumed it was because she was more comfortable in her disguise that she was in her own skin. However, seeing Tsunade now in such a beautiful blue kimono that made it look like she was walking on water, some part deep inside of him stirred as the reality sunk in. Reborn quelled the feeling quickly, but the realization still hit him hard.

He was getting _married._

 _And my bride doesn't look half bad either_.

Reborn's brow furrowed slightly at that last thought, wondering why it briefly crossed his mind. He shook it off as a snap judgement, one people made based purely on appearance

 _I wonder what Luce would think of this fake marriage,_ he wondered. _She would probably claim that it was fate, and that we were meant to be together._ Reborn smiled bitterly. There would be no love in this relationship, and as soon as he killed The Puppeteer, the two of them could go their separate ways.

The words of the priest officiating the wedding pierced through his thoughts when the priest mentioned something about exchanging rings and kissing the bride. Tsunade seemed to be shocked out of her daze as well, but she remained calm, determined to put on a good show. However, as Reborn slipped on the ring on her finger and she did the same for him, he felt that her hand was slightly trembling. Her face revealed nothing, but for a split second, her eyes flickered and revealed a parade of emotions, including a unique mix of defiance and fear. Reborn wondered what she was afraid of. Was it the idea of entering the unknown? Or was it knowing that The Puppeteer was closing in?

The fear vanished as quickly as it appeared, and Tsunade faced him with a neutral expression. Reborn lightly cupped her face with one hand, feeling her tense up at his touch, and tilted her head up towards his. He felt the strange twinge in his heart again as he looked at her.

 _I'll make this quick for both our sakes._

Reborn kissed her.

* * *

The ceremony was finally over. Tsunade was standing in a corner of the reception hall, smiling and nodding as various mafiosos congratulated her. Reborn was standing a short distance away, doing the same. She glanced over at him, taking in his aura at a glance.

 _He's bored,_ she thought as she shook the hand of some Giglio Nero famiglia member. _He's also as irritated as I am with these formalities._

Tsunade didn't know why she had to exchange pleasantries with these people that she didn't know. She could tell that many of them were hostile towards her as well, but they wore fake smiles the same way she did. It didn't matter to her that much, but surrounded by so many people who considered her an enemy, she felt kind of lonely.

"There's my little rose." Tsunade turned around and smiled when she saw Iemitsu, beaming at her.

 _Finally, a familiar face,_ she thought. Iemitsu embraced her in a crushing hug and lifted her up.

"I can't believe my little rose is married now," he said tearily. "I still remember the days when you were struggling to take your first steps, or the time when you shot the bullseye of a target on your first try." Tsunade laughed and ruffled his blonde hair.

"I'm as shocked as you are, Papa," said Tsunade, smiling. "I never thought I would get hitched before Tsuna-nii."

"Ah, that boy is married to the job," said Iemitsu, putting Tsunade back down on the floor. "That's why I didn't want the position. I wouldn't have enough time to dream about your mother."

Tsunade felt a twinge of jealousy. Even though she met her mother only less than a decade ago, she knew that Iemitsu and Nana had a love stronger than any earthly force. Iemitsu would talk about her nonstop while training Tsunade, and she remembered dreaming about having that kind of romance when she was little.

Fate is a cruel mistress.

"We're very happy for you, your mother and I," said Iemitsu, still grinning like an idiot. "I know these are less-than-desirable circumstances, but Reborn is a good man. If he gives you any trouble, though, let me know and I'll be there."

 _A good man who's in love with someone else._ Tsunade gave Iemitsu a strained smile. Though Iemitsu knew this was a political marriage, she didn't have the heart to tell him she was merely bait to Reborn. She had a feeling he wouldn't be happy with the idea of his daughter purposely luring in The Puppeteer. "Thanks, Papa. I can handle any problems myself though. I'm not so little anymore."

"You'll always be my little rose, Tsunade," he replied seriously. "I put on a suit for you today, you know. It better not be in vain."

Tsunade laughed, and Iemitsu gave her one last hug before walking away. "You can come over here now, Tsuna-nii," she said to the figure lurking behind her.

"I really can't hide from you, can I?" said Tsuna with a sigh. "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt."

"You know, Papa isn't a bad person," chided Tsunade. "He left you with Nana for your own good because he didn't want you to get embroiled in the chaos of the mafia world before you were ready."

"Yes, I know," muttered Tsuna. "It's just hard for me to interact with him after he's been absent in my life for so long. It's the same reason why you're so jumpy around Nana."

"I am not jumpy!" snapped Tsunade.

Tsuna snorted. "You look like a mouse around a cat whenever she visits. You hide it well, but I can tell that you're extremely uncomfortable around her."

"I guess you're right," admitted Tsunade. The two of them watched the other attendees in silence for a little while before Tsuna spoke up again.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"You ask me this _after_ I sign the marriage certificate?" replied Tsunade, raising an eyebrow. "If you really need an answer, then yes, I will follow this through until the end."

Tsuna chuckled. "You've been like this since I've met you: stubborn and relentless."

"Better than being weak-willed like you were when I first met you."

"Hey!" Tsuna frowned at her, but it quickly gave way to a laugh. Tsunade smiled as well.

"Don't worry about me Tsuna-nii," she said softly. "I'm fine."

"I'm your older brother. It's my job to worry about you," said Tsuna, his tone quickly becoming serious. "I know you didn't want to become involved with The Puppeteer again. If you ever feel like you're in over your head, I won't hesitate to end this mission."

Tsuna squeezed Tsunade's shoulder, and then he left to talk to Yuni. Tsunade looked down at the wedding band on her left hand that now bound her to her new husband. It was a simple gold band dotted with tiny black and white diamonds. The black diamonds perhaps symbolized her signature black rose while the white diamonds probably symbolized Reborn's Sun Flames based off the way it clearly reflected the sun's rays. Tsunade sighed deeply.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Reborn was ready to shoot someone. Literally. Though Leon was currently disguised as a tie clip, the chameleon was prepared to transform at any moment because Reborn was about to burst.

"If I have to smile and nod another time, I will put myself out of my misery," he muttered under his breath. He found these useless conversations with people he didn't know a waste of his time. There were better things he could be doing with his time, like training at a shooting range, or watching paint dry. Anything was better than this.

"Renato Sinclair!" Reborn looked up and saw Lal Mirch stomping towards him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Lal Mirch's bluntness was a welcome escape from everyone else's frivolities.

"I've got a set of ground rules for 'chu, Ren," said Lal Mirch, swaying a little.

"You sound like you've had one drink too many, Lal," said Reborn with a smirk.

"Shut up!" snapped Lal Mirch. "Listen to me, you better take care of Tsunade! I didn't spend over a decade training her for her to pine away acting as bait for your own ends!"

"I'd do anything as long as my revenge is complete," said Reborn.

"I'm going to rip your—"

Reborn held up a hand to calm her down. "You didn't let me finish. I will use her as bait, but I have no intention to make our time together more painful than it has to be. Did you really think I would lock her up in my house like some obsessed psychopath?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it beneath you," mumbled Lal Mirch.

"You're too serious, Lal," said Reborn, laughing. "I'm surprised to see that you care so much about her though."

Lal Mirch scowled. "Of course I care about Tsunade. I practically raised her when Iemitsu entrusted her training to me. She's like the daughter I never had."

"If you would get married to Colonnello already—" Reborn dodged Lal Mirch's half-hearted swing at him with ease.

"Seriously though," said Lal Mirch softly, though her eyes were hard. "You will find it easy to enjoy her company. She's already surpassed me in terms of fighting prowess, and she has a Master's in Chemistry as well. Spar with her occasionally. Discuss mathematical and scientific theories or whatever you do with Kureko. I don't expect any love, but you could at least try to be her friend. God knows she could use some."

Reborn nodded. "I'll do my best." Lal Mirch nodded back, and then she stumbled forward, her cheeks pink from the champagne. He caught her with a sigh.

"Colonnello," he said, beckoning the blonde over from where he was watching them. "You might want to take your drunk ex-fiancée to some place quiet. Maybe to where you've been observing her for the past half hour?"

Colonnello glared at him, but he slung Lal Mirch's arm over his shoulder and muttered, "thanks kora" before leading her away. Reborn watched them, amused.

 _Though they're taking their sweet time, I never thought I would get married before them,_ he thought.

"Congratulations, _Renato_ ," sneered a cold voice behind him. Reborn frowned and didn't turn around, refusing to face the green haired bespectacled Arcobaleno.

"Verde," he said flatly. "I didn't think you would leave your precious experiments to attend such a superficial event."

"I'm just as surprised as you are," said Verde. "But Tsunade, or perhaps I should call her your wife, is such an interesting subject I couldn't resist."

"How do you know her?"

"We are…acquaintances, you could say. She is quite intelligent, and I enjoy her input on some of my ongoing experiments." Verde sighed. "It's a shame for such talent to go to waste on such brutish activities such as assassination or whatever you hitmen do."

"At least a hitman understands the meaning of loyalty," said Reborn coldly. "Something you could never understand."

Verde circled around to face Reborn. "I do not need such ties," he said, smirking. "I became Yuni's guardian to repay an old debt, but I have no obligation to get along with you or the others. However, I came to your wedding out of respect for Tsunade, and it takes a lot to earn my respect. I even made her a baton out of anti-Flame metal."

"I don't get it," hissed Reborn. "What did she promise you in return? You don't do favors for anyone."

"She promised the greatest gift of all," replied Verde, looking at Tsunade, who was standing across the room. "Her body. Oh, don't look at me that way, Reborn. You know I meant for scientific research. If she is to die acting as your bait, try not to let The Puppeteer cut her up too much. I look forward to the day I can take her apart and find out what makes her so unique from anyone else I've met before. I already have plans for how I'll dissect her eyes and get to the bottom of the secret of her 'Fated Eyes', and I will finally quench my desire to find out why her Flames…" He trailed off, and then Verde grinned eerily.

"There's so much you don't know about your wife, but she is a fine specimen, and this time, I don't mean just scientifically."

With that, Verde walked off. Reborn clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

 _He really knows how to get on my nerves_ , he thought angrily. Verde was the only Arcobaleno that he could never, and would never, get along with because Verde valued his experiments over human life.

 _It doesn't matter what Verde knows about her. If Tsunade is as good as Lal Mirch says, she should be able to take care of herself if The Puppeteer attacked her._

Still, the way Verde talked about Tsunade made Reborn feel uneasy. There was a history between them that he didn't know about, and for some reason, that irritated him. His eyes wandered around and rested on Tsunade. She was staring out of the window, obviously distracted. Reborn didn't understand. Tsunade was his bait, his ticket to avenge the only person he truly loved, so her history shouldn't matter to him.

Right?

* * *

 **A/N: Yay for chemistry and conflict! Please read and review to let me know what you all think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Unfortunately, I won't be updating for quite a while, but I hope you will wait for me to return and continue to enjoy the story.**

* * *

 **Hours later…**

Tsunade was fuming. No one told her that she would be moving in with Reborn _immediately_ after the wedding, but apparently Tsuna and Yuni decided that it was best for them to start living together as soon as possible in case The Puppeteer decided to strike. Keiko left early (a fact that escaped Tsunade's attention because she was still in a daze from being married) to pack Tsunade's few belongings. After the last of the guests left, Tsuna finally broke the news to Tsunade, and she nearly socked him in the face. It took a little while to calm her down, and then Tsunade got into a car with Reborn for an awkward half hour drive to his house.

"His house?" muttered Tsunade as she pulled out her extra suits and set them in her new closet. "A mansion is more like it."

Tsunade knew Reborn had a lot of money from all the jobs he picked up over the years, but it was only when the car entered the countryside that Tsunade caught a glimpse of where he was living for the first time.

The mansion was built to mimic an elegant Georgian country house that would be found in rural England. Standing in front of the house, one could see several large windows that were arranged in a neat symmetrical manner, with four on each side of the beautiful heavy wrought oak doors and one directly above them. There was a cobblestone driveway that led right to the white marble steps in front of the front door, and the mansion also had red brick walls and a gambrel roof that took Tsunade's breath away. Behind the house was a quaint little well-maintained garden with many varieties of plants that Tsunade didn't know the name of.

After her brief tour of the exterior of the house, Tsunade entered the house and was pleasantly surprised to see that Reborn replaced all the rooms on the eastern half of the building with a large training room as technologically advanced as the ones in the Vongola headquarters. On the other side of the mansion were a diverse variety of rooms, including a kitchen, a living room, a library, three master bedrooms, and a couple smaller guest bedrooms. Reborn left her alone to unpack in an (thankfully) otherwise empty master bedroom, and then he went off to take care of something else.

 _At least I don't have much to unpack_ , thought Tsunade as she pried open the last box. Though she had been living with Lal Mirch and Keiko for about eight years, Tsunade was never comfortable with furnishing her room since she was always off on missions anyway. Everything she needed fit into one box, and everything she ever owned fit into three. The only thing that separated her room from one you would find in a furniture store was a piano keyboard that Tsunade set up in the corner. All hitmen had their own methods of coping with the pressures of their job, and since Lal Mirch insisted that she learn piano as a way to gain access in high end locations anyway, Tsunade bought herself a keyboard for her to play in her free time.

Tsunade breathed a sigh of satisfaction as she put the last of her knives on her new weapon rack. _Now to change out of this uncomfortable kimono,_ Tsunade thought as she undid her obi. However, when she tried to take off the kimono, she realized that it was secured in another spot that she couldn't reach.

"I can work my way through zipties and metal restraints," growled Tsunade. "But when it comes to my best friend and her decorative knots, I'm as useless as a newbie."

After a few more futile attempts, Tsunade was ready to cut it off and grabbed one of her throwing knives. She suddenly felt an unfamiliar aura near her and instinctively spun and threw the knife, which Reborn barely dodged.

"That's the second time you've tried to take my head since I've met you," Reborn said, raising an eyebrow.

Tsunade flushed bright red. "Sorry," she muttered, looking at the floor. "Not used to your aura signature yet."

"Ah, Colonnello told me about your 'Fated Eyes'," he said, impressed. "Quite a useful skill to have as a hitman. Lal Mirch thinks really highly of you, by the way. She said you could put up quite a fight."

"I can hold my own," said Tsunade, smiling slightly. It was rare for Lal Mirch to compliment people.

"Well, the night is still young," said Reborn. "I was hoping to assess your skills myself, if you wouldn't mind a quick spar."

Tsunade's grin widened. After a stuffy wedding, a fight was the perfect way for her to unwind. The only problem was…

"I'd like to spar, just not in this kimono," she said, her cheeks heating up again.

"I'll wait for you to change," said Reborn. He turned around to leave, but Tsunade reached out suddenly and grabbed his sleeve.

"W-wait," she stammered. "The kimono, it, uh, is secured somewhere else on the back that I can't find." Tsunade blushed, embarrassed that she couldn't pull off what should be a simple task. "Um, do you mind…untying it for me?"

Reborn stared at her for a brief second, and then he gestured to her to turn around.

"You act like your brother when you're embarrassed," he noted as he undid the extra knots on Tsunade's kimono.

"So I've been told," mumbled Tsunade.

"Just like dame-Tsuna," said Reborn. He untied the last knot, and Tsunade turned back around quickly, catching the folds of fabric before it fell.

"Thanks," she said, refusing to meet his eyes. Tsunade was positive her face was as red as a fire hydrant at this point.

Reborn nodded and began to leave the room, but he stopped at the doorway and said to her with a smirk. "I'll meet you in the training room, dame-Tsunade."

"H-hey!"

Tsunade heard Reborn chuckling to himself in the hallway. She closed the door and quickly changed back into her signature black suit while muttering darkly about Reborn looking down on her, but she was secretly relieved that there wasn't any tension between them.

 _Of course he doesn't feel nervous,_ she chided herself. _Our roles are clearly defined. I'm the bait, and he's the hunter. There are no mixed feelings involved. We might as well be roommates._

 _And yet…_

Tsunade couldn't deny the fact that her heart skipped a beat when Reborn was undoing her kimono. She dismissed the feeling as some trivial womanly emotion that she was better off without, but suddenly she couldn't forget the way his fingers brushed against her cheek during the wedding ceremony when he gently tilted her head up and…

She threw another knife into the wall angrily. _There's no use going down that road again,_ Tsunade thought as she pulled the pins out of her hair and retied it into a ponytail. She scrubbed the makeup off her face in the bathroom connected to the bedroom, and she took a long look into the mirror, relieved to see her normal self again. She was on a mission, and as any good hitman knew, personal emotions were not to interfere with her mission. Tsunade rearmed herself, feeling safer with knives in her suit jacket and guns in her hands, and pulled her black gloves over her wedding band. The Tsunade that walked down the aisle wearing a kimono was exposed and had a temporary lapse in judgement. She hadn't walked in public as a woman in so long that she let her emotions run amok.

"Things were easier when I was Tsunayoki," Tsunade said to herself as she left the room.

* * *

Reborn opened up a panel in the training room and flipped a few switches, feeling a buzz of anticipation spread through his body.

 _It's been a while since I've had a challenge,_ he thought, grinning.

Reborn hated the multitude of hitmen that shared the training rooms at the Vongola headquarters, and the Giglio Nero famiglia didn't have the technology the Vongola did, so he decided to build his own since he had money to burn anyway. The room was designed and built by Shoichi and Spanner, who were delighted to let their imaginations run wild and create the most intense training room ever. Other than basic pieces of equipment, such as weight-lifting machines and ellipticals, Shoichi designed drones that could shoot bullets, real, Flame-infused, or rubber, at human targets using thermal imaging technology and could only be deactivated by hitting specific points on the drones' reinforced metal bodies. The room could also be altered to mimic different forms of terrain, making it an ideal place for practice. Reborn enjoyed the workout, but drones were drones, and they couldn't react and fight like a human enemy could.

 _She better be as good as Lal Mirch said._

"Rules of the spar," he shouted to Tsunade, who had been warming up across the room from him. "First one to knock the other out or be in a position to deliver a fatal blow will win. Start at the sound of the buzzer. However, these drones will be firing at either one of us at random intervals, with real bullets of course, so watch your back. I don't want my bait dying on me."

Tsunade snorted. "You should be the one watching your back," she said with a wide grin. Her eyes that were previously so dull were now shining with excitement.

 _Her eyes can be just as expressive as her brother's,_ thought Reborn as hit a final button. _We might not know each other well, but there's no better way to bond than over a life-threatening experience._

The buzzer went off, and the two of them shot forward. Tsunade immediately shot at him with her .22 caliber pistol, and Reborn rolled to the side and shot back at her with his Leon-gun, admiring the way she dodged fluidly. She threw a knife at a drone that was about to turn towards her and swung at Reborn with the other arm. He blocked her blow and tried to throw her to the floor but was forced to retreat when she nearly blew his head off with her hidden gun. Skidding backwards a few steps, Reborn shot two drones nearby and threw a few of his own knives, adding a few Sun Flames in the mix. Tsunade's eyes widened a fraction, and though she avoided a few knives, the Flames followed her. Cursing, she whipped out her baton and spun it, dispelling the Flames.

 _That must be the baton Verde made with her_ , Reborn briefly noted with irritation. He didn't have time to process the feeling, however, because she swung the baton at him and just barely clipped his shoulder. Reborn repaid the favor by nicking the back of her neck with a throwing knife, and he fired several successive shots towards her. She bent backwards and avoided them, but a drone near her turned towards her and forced her to collapse onto the floor in order to avoid the incoming bullet. Tsunade barely moved out of the way in time when Reborn shot at her again, but she managed to disable the drone behind her with a well-placed punch. Reborn swung his foot towards Tsunade in a spinning roundhouse kick, knocking off her fedora, but Tsunade used his momentum against him and moved out of the way suddenly, forcing him to land jarringly. He gritted his teeth and ignored the pain shooting up his legs. Tsunade momentarily retreated as well, breathing heavily.

"Tired?" he yelled, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Are you?" she shouted back, grinning from the rush.

Reborn chuckled and pointed his Leon-gun at her. "Let's see you dodge this." He fired off a Chaos shot at her, curious to see how she would deal with the constantly dividing Flame-powered bullets.

Tsunade showed no sign of panicking. Instead, she stared at the bullets for the briefest moment before launching herself forward. In a blink of an eye, she whirled her baton around and hit the center of the Chaos shot, a sharp metallic sound resonating throughout the room. With the core gone, the shots hit the opposite wall, disabled.

 _Amazing,_ thought Reborn in awe. _She could see through the decoys and locate the central shot. Lal Mirch was right to praise her skills._ He brought his arm up in time the block Tsunade's chop aimed at his neck and wrenched the knife out of her other hand. They continued to exchange blows and occasionally ended up back to back to take out a few drones, which, at this point, were not so much a threat as they were annoying. The two of them had their shares of bruises and cuts from the other's attacks, but they were still going strong. Neither of them were willing to admit defeat.

Reborn turned sharply to the side to avoid a throwing knife aimed at his carotid artery and swept his leg in a half circle, knocking Tsunade off her feet. She rolled to the side to avoid his follow-up attack and stood up, but the abrupt movement momentarily dazed her. Taking advantage of that, Reborn hooked his leg around her shin and forced her chin up with his arm, placing the blade of a knife against her neck. Tsunade froze, realizing she was trapped, and then she sighed and dropped her weapons.

The battle was over.

Reborn released her and quickly ran to the control panel, shutting down the drones.

"That was the best spar I've had in a long time," said Tsunade, picking her baton off the floor and slipping it back into her boot.

"It was an excellent workout," Reborn agreed. "You're just as talented as Lal Mirch said, but I'm better."

Reborn smirked and grabbed the throwing knife that Tsunade half-heartedly flung at him. "Wait until the next time we fight," growled Tsunade. "I'll give you another run for your money."

"You might want to fix the opening on your right that you leave every time you kick upwards," said Reborn, walking towards Tsunade. "Lal Mirch has the same problem, so I suppose it's not completely your fault."

"What are you saying?" asked Tsunade suspiciously.

"I'm saying that I can help you improve," replied Reborn, holding his hand out towards her. The skill that Tsunade showed him today really impressed him, but there were still areas for improvement, and the tutor side of him wanted to fix those flaws. Lal Mirch was not a bad teacher, but she also had her shortcomings, so Tsunade had not reached her full potential yet. Tsunade fascinated him. She was like a half-polished diamond: still rough around the edges but could really shine with the proper treatment.

Tsunade glared at him but stayed silent. He guessed that she was looking at his aura to figure out if he was mocking her or not. Reborn wondered what she saw when she looked at him.

"Fine," Tsunade said with a sigh, grabbing his hand and shaking it. "If I'm going to be stuck here anyway, I might as well get a few pointers from the World's Strongest Hitman."

"It's for your own good, dame-Tsunade," said Reborn flatly, though his eyes were dancing with mirth. "You need to be able to hold off The Puppeteer before I arrive to finish the job."

Tsunade shot at him again, but she had a slight smile on her face. Though it didn't seem like it at first, under her hard and cynical exterior, Tsunade was a lot like Tsuna, only a lot more talented. Reborn became friends with Tsuna through training, which mean he could at least get along with Tsunade for the extent of their fake marriage. Tsuna and Yuni put them both on a two month "honeymoon" leave for appearances sake anyway, so this would be an ideal time for him to learn more about her through his Spartan training methods.

 _Lal was right,_ he thought with an evil grin. _I will enjoy her company._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks to a Guest for reviewing! Like I said earlier, I will be going on hiatus for a little bit, but I look forward to continuing the story!**

 **Please read and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: It's been about a month, but at least I updated just in time for Valentine's Day! Enjoy!**

* * *

Tsunade cursed as she brushed the inside of her wrist against a spike for the tenth time as the car went over another bump. She reflexively pressed it against her mouth and sucked on it sullenly.

"You look like a petulant child," said Reborn, looking over at her with a smirk.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" snapped Tsunade. "You're the one who insisted to drive!"

"It's because your driving is barely legal, dame-Tsunade."

"Don't call me that!"

It's been three months since the two of them were married, and it was a frustratingly peaceful three months. The Puppeteer was dormant. There was no evidence that he had any new "works of art" planned, or that he would be going after Tsunade any time soon. On the bright side, Tsunade and Reborn had become quick friends through their many mutual interests. They sparred daily, engaged in intellectually stimulating conversations over various mathematical and scientific findings, tried to catch the other off guard with a surprise throwing knife, and simply enjoyed each other's company. Though they argued constantly, it was all friendly banter, and Tsunade was pleased to see her skills improve as a result of Reborn's training.

"What are you doing anyway?" asked Reborn.

"I'm braiding a line of spikes into my hair," replied Tsunade, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"That's certainly a creative way to keep people from grabbing your hair, especially since it's so long," said Reborn, nodding approvingly. "Though I have to say, it's weird to watch a man plait his hair."

Tsunade glared at him. She activated the illusion device because they were going to Vongola Headquarters, and she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. Their marriage was still largely a secret only known to their closest friends and the elders of both famiglias. Tsunade decided it was best if she maintained her disguise for the time being.

Reborn pulled over to the sidewalk, and the two of them quickly got out. He handed the keys to a man employed by the Vongola, who would drive the car around the city until they were ready to leave. They would walk the rest of the way to Vongola headquarters.

 _These security procedures might be necessary, but they sure are tedious,_ thought Tsunade, pulling her cloak around her tighter. Fall was finally coming, and it brought with it a slight chill. She shivered.

"Cold, bait?" said Reborn, raising an eyebrow.

"A little," she muttered as the two of them walked briskly, carefully weaving in and out of the crowd of people. "I hate the cold."

"You seem to hate many things."

"Funny, I thought I only hated you."

Reborn chuckled. "I wonder why Tsuna called us to the office today," he said.

Tsunade shrugged. "He usually only asks for me, so he probably has something that requires you to go along."

"Could it be a mission?"

"Probably not," said Tsunade, shaking her head. "He hasn't been giving me any of my usual solo missions since you refuse to let me go anywhere alone, except headquarters, of course."

"I'm just looking out for you, dame-Tsunade. You don't want the Puppeteer to take your head before I take his, do you?"

Tsunade snorted as the two of them entered the Vongola building and got in the elevator. She knew he probably didn't care if she was bleeding out as long as she kept the Puppeteer occupied long enough for him to get to her location.

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out, taking a brief moment to look around. Tsunade glanced into a reflective surface and was relieved to see the masculine face of Tsunayoki. It had been a long time since she last used the device, and she was glad it still worked.

As they walked to Tsuna's office, both of them noticed the stares directed at them. Tsunade quickly analyzed their auras, and what she saw soured her mood.

"Of course," she muttered.

"Did you find out why they are staring?" asked Reborn, looking at the other mafiosos coolly.

"In short, they're wondering why a legendary hitman like you is accompanying a weak and Flameless mafioso like me," said Tsunade through gritted teeth. She really hated coming here, but next to Reborn, it seemed like the disapproving looks increased tenfold. He was the World's Strongest Hitman, after all, and she was the boss's "useless" twin.

Reborn's laugh shocked Tsunade out of her brooding. "They can think what they want, but I know for a fact none of them can hold a candle to you and your skill."

Tsunade flushed red. He rarely complimented her, or anyone for that matter, and for some reason, hearing him praise her made her heart beat a little faster.

She dismissed the feeling as surprise.

Tsunade knocked on the door and heard a muffled voice say something from within. The two of them assumed it was Tsuna telling them to come in, and Tsunade opened the door. She raised an eyebrow and grinned when she saw the giant pile of paperwork that took her brother's place at his desk. After a brief moment of silence, the pile suddenly shook, and Tsuna burst out, scattering papers everywhere.

"Hello, Tsuna-nii."

"Chaos, dame-Tsuna."

"Forgot…to…come…up…to…breathe," Tsuna panted, trying to catch his breath. "Someone put me out of my misery now."

Reborn raised his pistol and pointed it at Tsuna. "Happy to oblige."

"HIEEEEEE! I was just kidding!" shrieked Tsuna, ducking under his desk. "I should've listened to Gokudera when he told me to get a head start on the paperwork for the meeting."

"Planning ahead was never one of your strong suits," said Tsunade. "You live too much in the present."

Tsuna sighed. "You're right. Anyway, you're probably wondering why I called you both here, and before I say anything, Tsunade, please know that I tried my best."

Tsunade eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Last time you talked like this, I got forced into a political marriage," she said, not noticing the way Reborn stiffened slightly. "What have you signed me up for this time?"

"Your marriage kept the veteran mafiosos quiet for a few months," said Tsuna. "Unfortunately, they have started talking again, concerned that you are not an appropriate match for Reborn, and that we lost our chance at creating an equal alliance with the Giglio Nero famiglia. They think that you will be influenced by Reborn too easily."

Tsunade laughed harshly. "Like that will happen."

"I know that it won't, but the elders are not convinced. Last week, they came to me with a proposal. Either I break up your marriage to Reborn—which we all know that I can't do if we are to maintain our side of the agreement with the Giglio Nero famiglia—or you prove your worth to the Vongola."

" _I_ prove my worth to the Vongola?" said Tsunade incredulously. "I've done more to help you establish a Vongola-led peace than they have! What more could they possibly ask of me?"

Tsuna buried his head in his hands. "Our grandfather's most trusted mafiosos, who are also the two that doubt our abilities the most, demand that you train their children," he mumbled. "They are spoiled and arrogant, but if you can turn them into proper hitmen, you will have proved yourself to be a strong hitman yourself."

"This is ridiculous," said Reborn flatly. "Tsunade doesn't need to prove her strength to anyone. Her fighting prowess is leagues above anyone else I've faced before."

"I have to though, don't I?" said Tsunade quietly, brimming with anger. "This is another test, and to protect the stability of the Vongola famiglia, I will do what I must."

"That's the conclusion I reached as well," said Tsuna grimly. "Your new trainees are waiting for you in the third training room."

Tsunade turned around and was about to leave the room when Reborn spoke again. "You know, dame-Tsunade, you might be forced into training them, but no one said anything about _how_ you train them. For example, my Spartan methods were quite effective on your brother. You might find using them to be to your advantage."

Tsunade absorbed his words, and she grinned widely. "I think I'll seriously consider your suggestion."

"Don't let them kill you, bait," said Reborn with a small smile. "I still need you to catch a murderer.

"Yes, _sweetheart_ ," said Tsunade sarcastically, but as she swung the door closed, she found herself giddy with excitement. She still wasn't entirely pleased to be training two brats because it was a huge waste of time, but at least she could now get some fun out of it.

She turned the corner into the corridor lined with awe-inspiring and high tech training rooms. Tsunade stopped outside of the third training room and leaned against the wall, taking in the auras of the people inside.

 _One girl, one guy,_ she thought. _Both giving off waves of arrogance. They probably trained under countless of other experienced hitman in the past. The boy also seems to be directing some disgust towards the girl. I hope he doesn't turn out to be a misogynist, but I would be fun to wipe the smirk off his face once I kick his ass and reveal that I'm actually female. Thanks to Reborn, I think this'll actually be an enjoyable experience._

Tsunade suddenly thought about what Reborn said about her skill, and she blushed again, much to her surprise.

"Stop it," she chided herself. "Walking in the room with a red face is not the way you want to meet your students."

Once the flush in her cheeks faded, she took a deep breath to calm herself. Tsunade waited for her heartbeat to slow back down. It was extremely rare for Reborn to compliment anyone twice in one day, and she was just shocked. No actual emotions were involved. She was simply pleased he recognized her as a strong hitman.

Yet, as she walked into the room, she couldn't completely quell the happiness bubbling up in her chest.

* * *

Kagano Hiroshi was bored. At the young age of 14, Hiroshi was already known throughout the mafia world for his sharp intellect and agility. When his father, the highly revered Kagano Hirohito, who was known for his impressive perfect assassination record when he worked as the Night Bird, came to Hiroshi and told him that he was to assess the skill of Sawada Tsunayoki, Hiroshi was not pleased. He had much better things to do then test some weak-ass hitman who couldn't even produce Flames. People often said that he was following in his father's footsteps, and that he would even surpass Hirohito soon. Hiroshi didn't need any additional training.

He glanced over to the corner of the training room, where a girl about his age was sharpening a beautifully constructed katana. She was slimly built like he was, and her silky black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, her green eyes fixed on the katana in front of her. This girl was Fukui Sakura, daughter of one of the Vongola's most loyal financial backers, Fukui Eito, and she was very well known for her swordsmanship. Called the Samurai Flower, Sakura was just as well-known as Hiroshi, which was probably why she was also chosen for this job.

Hiroshi snorted and ran his fingers through his well-groomed blond hair. _She's still a woman,_ he thought condescendingly. _She better not get in my way, or else I won't hesitate to knock her down. Her kind is weak, after all._

His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the training room flew open. Standing in doorway was a cloaked figure with a fedora wearing a full suit with a red tie. His features were schooled into a neutral expression, but his golden eyes were glinting with a malice that almost made Hiroshi shiver.

"Hello there," said the man flatly. "Since we've just met, I think we should introduce ourselves." He nodded to Hiroshi. "You are..?"

"Kagano Hiroshi."

"Never heard of you," said the man, shifting his attention to Sakura. Hiroshi felt a burst of fury at this nonchalant reaction. He expected some sort of shocked response, or at least a look of respect.

Sakura looked up from her katana. "I'm Fukui Sakura. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

The man eyed the two of them critically. "My name is Tsunayoki Sawada-Sinclair."

 _So this is the Decimo's brother,_ thought Hiroshi. _They really do look similar._ Hiroshi liked the Vongola Decimo and thought he was an excellent leader, but Tsunayoki seemed to drag him down. _Sawada-Sinclair?_ Hiroshi wrinkled his nose in disgust. _He stained such a prestigious name by Westernizing it and taking on what I assume to be his wife's surname. Not only is he Flameless, but he's a disgrace too._

"I would say that I am also pleased to meet you, but frankly, I am not," continued Tsunayoki. "In fact, I could write a book about the things I would rather be doing right now."

Hiroshi and Sakura stared at Tsunayoki incredulously. They expected him to be grateful for this chance to prove himself, but instead, he deliberately insulted them.

"Do you know who my father is?!" said Hiroshi angrily.

"No, but he must be pretty big if you're so used to hiding behind his reputation," Tsunayoki shot back. Hiroshi flushed dark red. Tsunayoki sighed and continued talking. "I know you two don't want to be here anymore than I want to train two spoiled brats, so let's make this quick. I have a bet for you two. You two will spar against me, and for the first five minutes, I will not fight back. I will simply dodge your attacks or deflect them with a weapon of my choice. If either of you manages to draw blood in these first five minutes, you win the bet and can go tell your daddies that I'm an incompetent fool that should never be allowed to hold a gun. However, after these five minutes, I will come after you, and if I knock you both out, then you will let me decide whether I want to train you or not."

"What exactly do you define to be 'blood drawn'?" asked Sakura.

"You can either nick me on the cheek or blow my brains out," replied Tsunayoki, looking very bored. "I don't really care since neither of you two will come even remotely close to hurting me."

Hiroshi clenched his fists. _He'll pay for his arrogance_.

Tsunayoki pulled out a metal stick from his combat boot and extended it into a slim baton with a flick of his wrist. "What are you waiting for?" he asked with a smirk. "Come at me with the intent to kill."

Hiroshi and Sakura immediately charged at him, but where the expected to hit flesh, they were met with empty space instead. They wheeled around and saw Tsunayoki standing behind them, still smirking.

"So slow," he said mockingly.

Hiroshi swung his foot at Tsunayoki's head, but Tsunayoki bent backwards and dodged it while blocking a swing from Sakura's katana with his baton. Sakura's eyes widened a fraction as Tsunayoki forced her to jump back. Hiroshi was surprised too. The Fukui family was also known for its superior swords, and so for Tsunayoki's baton to easily deflect a Fukui katana without a scratch was simply unbelievable.

Tsunayoki sidestepped Sakura's flying roundhouse kick and whirled around quickly enough to avoid Hiroshi's brass knuckles. He rapped Hiroshi on the arm with his baton as Hiroshi's momentum carried him forward.

"I'm simply deflecting your blow," said Tsunayoki innocently when Hiroshi shot him a dirty look.

Sakura tried to grab Tsunayoki's long braid, but she gasped in pain and immediately let go. Hiroshi saw that her hand was bleeding profusely and realized that Tsunayoki must've known that his long hair was an attractive target and employed the proper countermeasures. Even as he threw several throwing knives in Tsunayoki's direction, he felt just a smidge of admiration for Tsunayoki's ability to think so far ahead.

Tsunayoki swung his baton and knocked the knives out of the air with ease. Hiroshi was starting to grow impatient, and he could tell Sakura was irritated as well. It was obvious that he was toying with them, and though they were already dripping with sweat, Tsunayoki was still calm and collected.

 _We'll see if you're still calm after this,_ thought Hiroshi and he charged at Tsunayoki once again. This time, however, his throwing knives were blazing with a vibrant red glow. Charged with Storm Flames, Hiroshi's knives could now follow a target and dissolve anything in their way. He briefly glanced over and saw that Sakura's blade was now glowing with the distinctive blue of the Rain Flames, which wasn't surprising since it was well known that she briefly trained under the Rain Guardian, Takeshi Yamamoto. Hiroshi felt a surge of triumph. There was no way Tsunayoki could hold up against two Flame users.

It was time to put him in his place.

Hiroshi flung his knives at the same time that Sakura swung at Tsunayoki form above, but Tsunayoki wasn't fazed. He whirled his baton around and deflected all of Hiroshi's knives and disarmed Sakura in one fluid motion. Hiroshi and Sakura were forced to jump out of the baton's range, but both expected to see Tsunayoki become overwhelmed by the Flames. However, when the smoke cleared, Hiroshi's knives were in a pathetic pile on the floor, and Sakura's katana was harmlessly stuck in the ground.

"One of the most important rules for hitmen," said Tsunayoki, obviously amused at their shocked expressions. "Is to know their own weaknesses and plan accordingly." He glanced down at his watch. "It's been fun watching you two squirm, but your time is up."

Before Hiroshi even had a chance to move, Tsunayoki was behind him, grinning deviously.

"Good night," he said joyfully.

Hiroshi's vision went black the moment Tsunayoki's hand hit the back of his neck.

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter is already in progress, so there might even be a new update by tomorrow! Thanks to _Sailor Pandabear_ , _Ducki9_ , _babaosis_ , and _TheIcecreamGeek _ for reviewing!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Break means mass updating from me! In case you haven't seen my edits in the last few chapters, I recently learned from Tumblr that it's generally agreed upon that Reborn's real name is Renato Sinclair, which is a super awesome name. I've edited all previous chapters to reflect this change and will continue to use his real name from this point forward.**

* * *

The moment Tsunade left the office, Tsuna started chuckling.

"I don't know what you find amusing about this situation," said Reborn, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," said Tsuna, smiling slightly. "I know this isn't the best time to mention this, but it seems like you and my sister have adopted the same mannerisms, and it's kind of funny."

"How so?"

"Well, for starters, when I surfaced from this sea of paperwork, you both had the exact same expression. Then, when I mentioned Tsunade's latest task, both of you crossed your arms and furrowed your brows. I guess that's just what happens when two people live together for long periods of time."

Reborn didn't say anything, but he realized that Tsuna was right. He and Tsunade have spent almost every waking hour with each other since they got married. It was to prepare for the Puppeteer's attack, of course, but after three months, having her by his side felt almost…natural. It wasn't surprising that they started mimicking each other.

Tsuna cleared his throat. "Now that she's gone, we can talk about why I called you here today," he said, his tone becoming serious. "In accordance with our peace agreement, I will reveal to you everything I know about the technical skills of the Puppeteer."

Reborn stiffened, and he nodded tersely. "It's about time," he said. Reborn absorbed everything Tsuna told him as Tsuna rattled off basic facts such as height, weight, and age. He needed to thoroughly assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Puppeteer to know what was the best way to approach him. Using Tsunade as bait would only get him so far. Reborn had to be sure that he could finish off the Puppeteer.

"All the basic information aside," continued Tsuna. "His power is what makes him so very dangerous. As you know, he has the power of mind control, though the origin of his power is unknown to me. It's widely accepted that he hijacks the nervous systems people in order to force them to follow his commands. The Puppeteer can control up to 20 mentally average people, such as civilians, at once, and the number decreases based on the level of concentration needed to control one person. A hitman such as yourself, for example, would be difficult to control because you have had training to strengthen your mind against forms of torture and psychoanalysis. Looking at his victims, it's obvious that the Puppeteer is obsessed with control. The marks on the victims' skin that resemble an "X" are where a puppet would have strings attached."

Reborn gritted his teeth. The Puppeteer was a very sick sociopathic man.

"As for what he actually does to someone, multiple witness accounts have confirmed that though he can control one's motions, he can't actually manipulate one's personal morality or emotions. For instance, he could make a man rob a bank and keep his mouth shut about it, but he can't convince the man that what he's doing is right. The moment he gives the man his power of speech back, the man will most likely condemn the crime. This is the only limitation to his power that I know of. According to Tsunade, he can also use his powers to manipulate himself, such as giving himself high pain tolerance or changing his mannerisms and aura, making him very hard to pinpoint even with her 'Fated Eyes'."

"What about his connection to Tsunade?" pressed Reborn. "Why is he so obsessed with her in particular?"

"I'm not completely sure," admitted Tsuna. "I only know what she told me, and she told me very little. The information about the Puppeteer's history is with CEDEF, and you know I don't have complete power over them since they are _external_ advisors. Besides, what my dad told me is that this part of the Puppeteer is Tsunade's story to tell, and despite my limited knowledge, I have to say that I agree with him." His eyes became hard. "What I will tell you is that the Puppeteer completely destroyed Tsunade, and she was never the same after what happened with him."

Reborn wasn't completely satisfied, but he let it go. He had gained very important insight into the power of the Puppeteer, and it shouldn't be too important why he wanted Tsunade. She was bait, after all, and the hunter didn't question the motivations of his prey.

"Her dedication to the Vongola always astonishes me," said Tsuna with a deep sigh. "Despite all the trouble she gets from some of our famiglia members, she would die for them in a heartbeat."

"She's a lot like you, dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow. "Is that a compliment I hear?" he said in mock awe. Reborn pointed his Leon gun at him again, and Tsuna arms shot up into the air in a surrendering gesture.

"I was just kidding," said Tsuna quickly. "Anyway, I'm glad you two get along well enough. She always had a thing for isolating herself from people. Just between you and me, I'm kind of glad she got those two students, even if it's just a test. Tsunade needs more people in her life, or else she'll always have that little frown or troubled smile on her face."

Reborn nodded again, and Tsuna sighed.

"I know it doesn't matter to you, Ren, with her being your bait and all," he muttered. "You can go now. Tsunade's probably done giving hell to her poor students anyway. I really hope her teaching style doesn't become like yours. One Renato Sinclair is enough."

"One Reborn Chaos is enough to keep you in line," said Reborn, smirking as he opened the door. "Good bye, dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna gave Reborn a tired wave, and Reborn left the office. As he walked to where the training rooms were located, he thought about what Tsuna said.

 _Tsunade does always have a shadow over her expressions_ , he realized. _Even when she's smiling, it never quite reaches her eyes. She also hates exposing any part of herself. Even at our wedding, she was wearing white ballroom gloves, and I don't think I've ever seen her take off her black leather gloves in front of me._

 _What did the Puppeteer do to her to make her so horribly insecure?_

Reborn shook off these thoughts. They were irrelevant to his mission. All he knew was that the Puppeteer wanted to kill Tsunade, and that's what made her the ideal bait. It wasn't like Tsunade was very pleased with their arrangement. His heart involuntarily clenched when he thought of the way Tsunade spat out the words "political marriage".

 _She doesn't want this anymore than you do,_ he reminded himself. _She's on a mission, and I'm seeking revenge. Our roles are clearly defined. I'm doing this for Luce._

He opened the door to the training room and stepped to the side to avoid the bullet that Tsunade shot at him.

"Grouchy?" he asked.

"Not at all," said Tsunade cheerfully. "I really put them in their place. Their names are Kagano Hiroshi and Fukui Sakura."

Reborn nodded as he looked at the two limp figures on the floor. "A Kagano and a Fukui?" he said, impressed. "They come from some pretty important families."

"Yeah, and they're not too bad at fighting either. Just horribly arrogant." Tsunade turned her attention back to the Fukui girl. Reborn walked over and saw that she was tightly wrapping gauze around the girl's hand.

"She made the mistake of grabbing my hair," explained Tsunade. "The wounds weren't too deep, but it's still best to treat it in case it gets infected. I treated some of the cuts on Kagano too. They both sustained a few injuries from collapsing on the floor."

Reborn watched Tsunade as she finished up her task. Though she still had her illusion device on, he had seen her enough times to just barely make out her high cheekbones and the feminine curve of her face. She was biting her lower lip in concentration and looking at the girl with concern. He had never seen that expression on her face before, and it surprised him that he felt a twinge of sadness.

 _How many sides of her are there that I haven't seen yet?_ he wondered.

Tsunade straightened up and stretched. "What did my brother want to talk to you about?" she asked.

"He was giving me more details about the Puppeteer," replied Reborn. He noted the way Tsunade's body went rigid at the mention of the Puppeteer.

"Oh," said Tsunade with a tense smile. "Did he mention anything about the Puppeteer's history?"

"No, just his abilities." Reborn saw that Tsunade almost sagged with relief. She was pulling at the edges of her gloves, as if she was trying to reassure herself that she still had them on. It was a small gesture, but it left Reborn wondering about what she hid under her gloves.

 _This is unhealthy_ , he thought. _I'm becoming too involved in the feelings of my bait. I need to snap out of this._

"Since your students are both incapacitated right now," said Reborn, changing the subject. "Are you interested in a short spar?"

Tsunade grinned. "I was hoping you would say that," she replied, taking out her baton and twirling it. "Same rules as usual?"

Reborn nodded and prepared himself. _This is the way it should be. Friendship and nothing more._

 _No strings attached._

* * *

Hiroshi was roused by the sound of bullets hitting the wall. His eyes shot open, and he quickly sat up, though his head screamed in protest. He clutched his head and groaned, remembering what happened a few minutes ago.

 _I was knocked out in a single blow_ , he thought, blood rushing to his face. _That was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life!_

Hiroshi didn't have much time to dwell on his humiliating defeat, however, because the commotion that woke him up quickly captured his attention. Tsunayoki, who hadn't broken a sweat in their earlier fight, was now dripping with it, and his face glowed with anticipation as his sparring partner flew at him with knives wrapped in Sun Flames.

 _Wait…_

 _Fedora with a yellow stripe._

 _Sun Flames._

 _Curly sideburns._

 _Could that man be…_

Hiroshi squeezed his eyes shut and reopened them, thinking that he was hallucinating as a result of the head trauma, but there was no doubt about it. The man Tsunayoki was fighting was Reborn, the World's Strongest Hitman and a living legend to mafiosos around the world. Not only did he train two extremely influential mafia bosses, but he was also known for his unbelievable fighting prowess. It was even rumored that he had never been defeated by anyone before. Reborn was an untouchable figure.

Only…the cuts on his face didn't make him look so untouchable right now.

The Sun Flames were quickly dispersed by Tsunayoki's strange baton, but that didn't stop Reborn from grabbing his wrist and throwing him over his shoulder. Tsunayoki flipped in the air gracefully and landed just in time to roll out of the way of several bullets aimed at his head. He swung his baton around quickly and just barely managed to clip Reborn on the shoulder before Reborn jumped out of range. Hiroshi couldn't believe what he was seeing. Reborn seemed equally as worn out as Tsunayoki was, which meant that this was no normal battle.

 _I was told that Tsunayoki was a weak hitman_ , thought Hiroshi in awe. _Yet here he is, holding his own against the famous Reborn._

The spar, which seemed like it had been going on for quite a while now, ended quickly. Tsunayoki shot at Reborn, but his real aim was to move Reborn into the range of his baton. Reborn barely managed to dodge both of them and flung another knife that barely brushed against Tsunayoki's forehead. Cursing, Tsunade shortened his baton to its original length and pressed something near its base. The metal plates of the baton immediately flattened and formed a razor sharp blade just in time for Tsunayoki to block Reborn's other knife aimed at his wrist. Reborn pointed his Leon-gun at Tsunayoki's head the moment Tsunayoki pressed his blade against Reborn's neck. The two of them stood like that for a second, breathing heavily.

"Draw?" asked Reborn.

"Fine," said Tsunayoki with a deep sigh. "I was so close this time."

They relaxed and stepped away from each other. "I never knew your baton was also a blade," said Reborn, rubbing his neck. "That's cheating."

Tsunayoki snorted. "You know that hitmen don't play fair."

"Of course I do. That's how I won all the other spars we've had in the past," replied Reborn with a smirk.

"I was close!" shouted Tsunayoki with a scowl. He then turned to Hiroshi, and his expression immediately became neutral. "Ah, you two are awake. I needed to tell you both my decision whether I want to train you two or not."

"Please!" Hiroshi turned around, startled, and saw that Sakura was on her knees, holding her katana out to Tsunayoki. He could tell she had been as mesmerized by the battle as he had been. "You're an exceptional fighter, and even though I have expressed nothing but contempt for you, you were still kind enough to bandage my wounds. I am not worthy, but I wish to train under you."

"Oh?" said Tsunayoki, tilting his head to the side. "Just moments ago, you two believed that I was the weakest hitman alive."

"We were wrong!" blurted out Hiroshi. "You're much stronger than anyone I've ever met before. It would be an honor to learn from you!" Under normal circumstances, Hiroshi would've been mortified to lower himself to begging for help, but he didn't care. Looking at Sakura, it was obvious that she had swallowed her pride as well. They both thought they learned from the best there was already, but standing in front of them was the greatest hitman that ever lived and perhaps the only hitman who could match Reborn's skill. Reborn only trained mafia bosses, so Tsunayoki was the best option they had. Hiroshi briefly thought back to the battle he just witnessed.

 _Their movements were fluid, as if they were dancing._

 _I want to learn this dance._

* * *

Tsunade looked at Hiroshi and Sakura, surprised by their sudden change of heart.

 _They were probably impressed by my spar with Reborn, even though neither of us were going all out_ , she thought. _It wasn't like I was going to say no anyway. They have too much talent that could go to waste._

Deciding to take advantage of the situation, Tsunade sighed dramatically and said, "If you put it that way, I guess I could train you two for a little while. You two better not slack off though. The moment either of you no longer seems committed to my training, I will stop training both of you."

Tsunade saw Hiroshi shoot a dirty look at Sakura. She felt a flicker of annoyance. _He probably thinks that Sakura will hold him back since she is a weak girl. How ironic…_

Before Tsunade could scold Hiroshi, however, Reborn spoke. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your new students?"

"It's not like they don't already know who you are," muttered Tsunade. _And I told you who they were while they were out cold._ "Reborn, these two are Kagano Hiroshi and Fukui Sakura. Hiroshi, Sakura, this is Renato Sinclair, though you probably know him and should continue to address him as Reborn Chaos."

"Sinclair?" repeated Hiroshi, confused. "Didn't you introduce yourself as Tsunayoki Sawada-Sinclair? I thought Reborn didn't have any relatives in his generation. How are you related to him?"

Tsunade flinched. She was so used to introducing herself with her new surname at the stuffy Vongola famiglia parties that she and Reborn were forced to attend that it just slipped out. Tsunade was hoping that they didn't notice, but they were too astute.

"Well…you see…" stammered Tsunade.

While she tried to think of a believable excuse, Reborn sighed and reached out to her waist, pulling her to his side.

"She's my wife," he said flatly.

No one in the room moved. Sakura and Hiroshi were in shock, and Tsunade was also trying to comprehend Reborn's actions while being acutely aware of his hand on her waist. However, she recovered quickly and took his actions into stride.

"You always have to steal my thunder," she said, deactivating the illusion device. Hiroshi and Sakura openly gaped at her as she returned to her usual feminine form. Tsunade smirked as she saw Hiroshi open and close his mouth as his misogynistic mind tried to comprehend the fact that not only did a woman defeat him, but the same woman also sparred with Reborn and nearly won.

"Let me reintroduce myself: my name is Tsunade Sawada-Sinclair. I am the Vongola Decimo's sister and the wife of Renato Sinclair. Does anyone have any objections to being trained by a _female_ tutor?" she asked sarcastically. Sakura shook her head vigorously and, after a moment's hesitation, Hiroshi mumbled a "no". "Good. I'll see you two in this training room tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM sharp."

With that, Tsunade walked out of the training room and Reborn followed suit. Tsunade didn't say anything until they were out of the building as she struggled to find a way to word her confusion.

"Why did you do that?" she finally asked.

"The boy was annoying me," Reborn said with a shrug. "Only a fool would underestimate someone because of their gender, and you were about to reveal yourself anyway. Besides, they would've found out from their parents soon enough, and if we are to play the devoted couple, it wouldn't be wise to deny our relationship when asked."

Tsunade bit her lip. _Of course,_ she thought as they waited for the car to arrive. _This was a calculated move because everything we do is an act. We're only pretending to be a couple while in reality, I am his bait, not his wife._

No matter how many times she repeated that explanation in her head, her heart still hurt. It wasn't much, but for the briefest moment, she actually felt kind of…happy. She thought that her happiness could only be found in spars and missions, but the feeling of his hand on her waist and hearing him call her his wife produced a frighteningly similar emotion that she didn't dare name.

 _Icy blue eyes._

 _Terrifying smile._

" _I will paint the sky red for you, Tsunade."_

Tsunade gasped in pain as the sudden memory tore through her mind. Reborn turned to her in surprise.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yes, just a migraine," lied Tsunade. Reborn didn't look too convinced, but the car pulled up to sidewalk before he could question her further. As Tsunade climbed into the car, she saw that Reborn was glancing at her with concern.

"Your bait is fine," she snapped. _After all, that's all I'm worth to you_. She looked out the window, refusing to meet Reborn's eyes. After a while, he gave up and started the car, driving back to the mansion. Tsunade smiled grimly. Whatever feeling she felt before was gone, thanks to that sharp pain, and she was actually relieved.

 _I almost fell into the same trap that ruined my life_ , she thought bitterly. _It's a good thing I caught myself just in time._

 _I'll never fall in love again._

* * *

 **A/N: Fun times. I plan to release at least 2 more chapters this week, so keep a look out for updates! Thanks to Ducki9, Crazed Aj, ****and Nekohana for reviewing!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this update!**

* * *

Tsunade tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the light to change so that she could cross the street.

"Tokyo is too crowded for my liking," she muttered to herself. "Or maybe it's because I've spent the last 3 months in a nearly empty mansion in the countryside."

It was around two in the afternoon, so the streets were filled with people hurrying back to work after their lunch break. Tsunade, on the other hand, finished up with her daily tutoring session a little while ago. She was pleased with her students' progress, though she would never admit it to them, and came to look forward to training them every morning. It had only been a week since she took on the role of being their tutor, but Sakura and Hiroshi had come to respect her and her Spartan methods, the latter of which was inspired by Reborn.

 _Reborn…_

 _He would be ticked off if he knew I left the Vongola HQ without an escort, even with my illusion device on,_ thought Tsunade as she followed the crowd of pedestrians across the intersection. _He was already unhappy with the fact that I came alone._

Reborn usually came with her to Vongola Headquarters, occasionally butting in with a suggestion as he watched her interact with her students, but his responsibilities as the Giglio Nero Sun Guardian finally caught up with him, and he had to attend a major meeting as Yuni's bodyguard. Tsunade knew he didn't mind the task, but he was worried that Tsunade would be attacked by The Puppeteer while he was absent. It took a few hours for Tsunade to convince him that nothing about The Puppeteer's criminal profile that suggested he would attack in a crowded setting, and she would head straight back after she was done tutoring.

Tsunade snorted. _That didn't happen._

In her defense, she put in an order with a Vongola-contracted shoe maker for new steel-tipped combat boots, so she couldn't leave the city for a while. Besides, Tsunade was pretty hungry and wanted to eat something before returning home.

 _Home?_

Tsunade was surprised she thought of Reborn's mansion as "home". Despite knowing that her current living situation was temporary, Tsunade always let her guard down in the mansion, feeling as relaxed as she did back in the apartment she shared with Lal Mirch and Keiko. Even Reborn no longer felt like a stranger. His presence was so familiar to her that she barely registered his aura when he came into range. Of course, she still reacted to him when he threw a knife at her or tried to throw her to the ground, but those were simply reflexes. Around Reborn himself, she felt completely at ease.

It was a very dangerous feeling.

"Thief!"

Tsunade was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard someone shouting behind her. She looked back and saw a woman screaming and pointing vaguely into the crowd. Tsunade quickly scanned the woman and found nothing but deceit in her aura. She sighed.

 _What a basic trick,_ she thought to herself, rolling her eyes. _The crow screams and gets everyone's attention, which prompts people to briefly check that they still have their money. By doing so, the inadvertently reveal the location of their valuables to the crow's partner, who then goes on a pick-pocketing spree._

Out of curiosity, Tsunade patted her pocket, pretending like she was checking for her wallet, and waited for the woman's accomplice. Sure enough, someone brushed against her and surreptitiously tried to reach into her pocket. Tsunade's hand lashed out and grabbed the thief's arm, pulling him into an alleyway. She pinned him against the wall with her arm against his neck and was surprised to see that the thief was a boy that couldn't be more than 13 years old.

"Promise not to scream if I let you down?" she asked the thief, who was staring at her with frightened eyes. He nodded quickly. Tsunade let him down, then, seeing that he was taking a deep breath to do exactly what she told him not to do, she shoved her hand over his mouth.

"I wasn't joking," she hissed. "Stay silent unless I ask you a question, or else I won't hesitate to turn you in to the authorities, got it?" The thief nodded again. Tsunade scrutinized him for another second before removing her hand.

"How much did you get?" she asked. The thief reluctantly emptied his pockets, revealing 7 wallets and an expensive watch. Though she didn't show it, Tsunade was impressed.

 _He pickpocketed at least 7 other people before he got to me in such a short amount of time,_ she thought to herself. _He's no amateur._

"You could do better," she said flatly. The boy looked at her, shocked. Tsunade sighed. "Kid, if you were expecting a lecture, you're going to be sorely disappointed. I'm not here to criticize your lifestyle. However, I hope you realize that you're in an unbalanced partnership. If anything goes wrong, you're the one that takes the fall, not your accomplice."

She jabbed her finger into the boy's chest. "In the business you're involved in, she won't hesitate to stab your back and run for the hills. There are much simpler ways to pickpocket someone with half the risk level."

"Like how?" blurted out the boy. Tsunade could tell she had piqued his interest.

"Care for a demonstration?" she asked with a smirk. "Of course, you shouldn't try to run away. That would be rude and I would certainly catch you." The boy nodded, and Tsunade quickly threw off her fedora, cloak, and blazer.

"First, get rid of most identifying features," she said as she pulled off her tie. "You don't want to be too memorable. Second, find your target."

Tsunade stepped out of the alleyway just as the boy's accomplice was about to walk by. She purposely walked right into the woman's path.

"I'm so sorry, miss! I hope I didn't hurt you!" exclaimed Tsunade in rapid fire English, patting the woman down to make sure she was ok. "I should've watched where I was going! Sorry about the trouble!" The woman made an impatient gesture to show that she was fine and quickly moved away.

The entire exchange lasted about two seconds. After waiting until the woman was out of sight, Tsunade walked back into the alleyway and dumped 4 wallets, 3 rings, 4 bracelets, and a diamond necklace onto the floor.

"Your accomplice sure like to dress nicely," said Tsunade as the thief stared at her earnings in awe. "I switched to English because though it would be strange for someone Japanese to engage in such physical contact, foreigners are notorious for their lack of personal boundaries. You could possibly pass off as an American or Briton with your blond hair. Anyway, keep that; I have no need for those valuables, especially since they were probably stolen. You get yourself out of that partnership as soon as you can, OK?"

Tsunade was about to walk away when the thief's response made her freeze.

"Yes, ma'am."

Tsunade quickly spun around. _Ma'am?_ She glanced into a puddle nearby and saw that she was, in fact, still in the body of Tsunayoki, which meant that the illusion device was still fully functional. There was no way he could've known she was actually a woman, unless…

"Hey kid," she asked sharply. "What do you see when you look at me?"

"What?" said the kid, startled. "Uhh, well, other than your physical appearance, you're surrounded by a purplish shroud? Sorry if that doesn't make sense."

"No, it makes perfect sense," said Tsunade, staring at him intensely. _I can't believe he's able to see the Mist Flames that make up my illusion. Only I can do that. Could it be possible that he also has the "Fated Eyes"?_ she wondered. _It's a specific bloodline trait that's extraordinarily rare, but it's possible we may be distantly related through Nana. If that's true, then I can't let him be exploited for his powers if someone else finds out._

"Do you ever feel overwhelmed by these colors?" she asked him. He nodded hesitantly. "I'm the same as you," said Tsunade.

"You can see the shrouds too?" asked the boy.

Tsunade nodded. "I believe you have a rare bloodline trait that runs in my mother's family and can be extremely useful if controlled properly. If you're willing, I can teach you how to utilize this skill and maximize its efficiency."

The boy looked at her skeptically, and Tsunade didn't blame him. He probably grew up on the streets, constantly looking over his shoulder and searching for his next meal. Suddenly, a stranger was offering him a chance at a better life. It wasn't surprising that he didn't believe her.

"I already proved myself and my skill to you," said Tsunade, crossing her arms. "If, after a year, you would like to return to the streets, I won't stop you, but I believe that you'll have greater ambitions after I train you. I can provide you with food and shelter as well."

She extended her hand out to him. "What do you say? Will you take this chance?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, he took her hand. Tsunade grinned and shook his hand.

"I'm Tsunade Sawada-Sinclair."

"Sakamoto. Roumi Sakamoto."

"Let's get going, Sakamoto," said Tsunade. "I don't want to be around when your former partner finds that her money and jewelry are gone."

The two of them walked out of the other end of the alleyway, and Tsunade led them to a designated corner where they waited for the car to come around.

"What do you do, exactly, if you're not a thief?" asked Sakamoto curiously.

"I'm a hitman," replied Tsunade.

Sakamoto's auburn eyes widened. "Do you kill people for a living?!"

"No, not quite," said Tsunade with a glare. "That's a henchman's job. I protect the interests of my famiglia through whatever means necessary."

"What's a 'famiglia'?"

"It's similar to the Yakuza, but my famiglia has an international influence. One word from my brother, or boss, and the course of history could be altered."

Tsunade was exaggerating slightly, but it made her smile when she saw Sakamoto's jaw drop.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Your brother is a mafia boss?"

"You suddenly became quite the chatty Cathy," teased Tsunade. "I—"

Tsunade was suddenly paralyzed by fear when a frightening familiar aura, filled with pure hatred and anger, burst into her range. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. She could hardly breathe.

 _Did you miss the stars in my eyes, Tsunade?_

Then, it was gone, and Tsunade was left gasping for air.

"What was that?!" asked Sakamoto. Though he wasn't as shaken as Tsunade was, he had turned as white as a sheet.

"Nothing that concerns us," said Tsunade quickly. The car pulled up to the corner at that very moment, and Tsunade ushered Sakamoto in. "It's probably best that we get out of here."

Tsunade felt sick as she climbed in behind the wheel.

 _It can't be him,_ she thought to herself vehemently. _He's too careful to reveal himself like that. I must've imagined the familiarity since it was such a strong aura. Other criminals have had a worse mix of emotions. I will report this to Tsuna as soon as possible, and he'll send someone to investigate. That will be the end of that._

She clenched the steering wheel tighter. _It can't be him. It can't._

No matter how many times she reassured herself, Tsunade couldn't shake off the lingering fear in her heart, and she took many extra detours before finally heading back to Reborn's mansion.

* * *

He stood on the rooftop, watching. The wind lightly rustled his silver-white hair and made his black cloak billow behind him. He watched her with one cold light blue eye that followed her every move. It had been four years since he last saw her. He traced the curves of her body and the sharp features of her face hungrily.

"It's been too long, Tsunade," he whispered.

It would be too easy to take her right now. She was completely unaware of his presence, since he was the only one who could successfully hide from her unique eyes, and she didn't have her pesky escort and fake husband following her around.

His lip curled in disgust. Tsunade had stooped to a new low for her damn famiglia, agreeing to a political marriage just to maintain the tense peace that her brother established. The famiglia was always her first priority, and that devotion made her weak. He couldn't understand her loyalty to a famiglia that treated her like an outcast, and it angered him greatly. She loved her dysfunctional famiglia with all her heart, even if that meant there was no room for…

He saw Tsunade turn around sharply, and he realized that he accidentally let his anger break past his defenses. Quickly concealing his presence again, he took a deep breath to calm down and stayed out of sight until Tsunade drove away.

 _I was careless_ , he thought. _I let my emotions get ahead of me._ That was very uncharacteristic of him. He usually was able to keep a cool head in even the most dangerous situations, but there was always something about Tsunade that brought out the worst in him.

He loved it.

He removed his eyepatch and threw it off the building, laughing hysterically. What fun! What joy! All the pieces of his plan were falling into place, and soon, Tsunade would regret what she did to him. He would take away everything she loved. No, he would make _her_ destroy the famiglia she valued so highly. Revenge would be such a sweet reward after so many years of meticulous planning. He opened both his eyes, staring up at the sky with a crazed grin on his face. The blood-red eye that was covered by the eyepatch now looked up at the clouds with a frightening intensity.

"Do you miss the stars in my eyes, Tsunade?"

* * *

Reborn let out a deep sigh as he walked along the dirt path leading back to his house.

"Why the hell did I agree to let Tsunade take the car?" he muttered angrily to himself. "I bet she didn't even come straight back anyway."

Yuni's meeting was fairly uneventful and ended in an agreement that satisfied all parties involved. Reborn was always bored by the political side of the mafia world and stood in the corner counting the tiles in the ceiling for the entirety of the meeting. He preferred to let his weapons do the talking for him.

He was also thinking about Tsunade for a good chunk of the time. It wasn't unusual for him to let her go to the Vongola Headquarters alone, since it was arguably the most secure place in the world, but he's been becoming increasingly worried about the suspicious lack of activity on the Puppeteer's part. It's been a long time since The Puppeteer has made any movements, and Reborn's source hasn't contacted him either. Reborn felt as if he was staring at a ticking time bomb that had its LED display disabled. He knew it was going to explode, but he didn't know when. When he received a text message from Tsunade (which was suspiciously later than he expected) saying that "his bait was back", Reborn nearly let out a sigh of relief.

 _I'm not worried about her welfare,_ he reminded himself. _I'm worried about the Puppeteer killing her before I get a chance to finish him off. It would put me at a great disadvantage if I lost my only lead in this case._

However, as Reborn turned onto the cobblestone sidewalk that led to the front door, he found that he was slightly anxious to confirm with his own eyes that Tsunade was actually back. He could hear the lilting notes of her piano from the front door, and he frowned. Tsunade told him that she only played as a way to cope with the PTSD that plagued all hitmen because of the destructive nature of their work. If she was playing now, it meant that something had badly shaken her. Reborn unlocked the door and stepped in. The playing didn't stop, so Reborn decided to go upstairs to Tsunade's room. When he was halfway up the stairs, he heard her softly singing.

"You are my sunshine,

My only sunshine.

You make me happy,

When skies are gray."

Reborn stumbled, much to his surprise.

 _Why do I suddenly feel so tired?_ he wondered, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"You'll never know dear,

How much I love you."

Her voice was almost hypnotic, and for a short moment, Reborn felt like everything would be ok if he just listened to her and went to sleep. He could be perfectly content if he just slept for a long time…

"Please don't take my sunshine away."

Tsunade stopped singing, and the wave of fatigue that hit Reborn was instantly gone. He quickly straightened up and composed himself. Reborn felt very confused as he tried to find an explanation for what just happened.

 _I must've been more worn out by the six hour meeting than I thought. The droning of those stuffy executives have gone to my head._

Reborn poked his head into Tsunade's room and saw her continuing to play with her eyes closed. "Hello, dame-Tsunade."

Tsunade looked up and abruptly stopped playing. "Oh! You're back, Ren," she said, startled.

Reborn raised an eyebrow. He must've really surprised her, since she never called him "Ren" unless he caught her off guard. Tsunade said she thought "Ren" was more of a personal nickname reserved for close friends, so she usually called him Reborn or his real name out of respect. However, Reborn found that he rather liked it when the name "Ren" slipped from her lips on accident.

It was a dangerous feeling.

"You didn't notice I entered your range?" he asked. "Aren't your eyes supposed to be infallible?"

"They are!" snapped Tsunade, though Reborn could tell she wasn't actually mad. "I can detect threats in an instant, but under normal circumstances, you're not a threat to me."

"Are you sure about that?"

Tsunade sighed and turned to face him. "Fine, to some extent, you are not usually a threat. You're excellent at hiding your emotions too, due to your many years of hitman experience, so your presence doesn't really stand out. Besides, you've been following me around so often that it's like we've been together for as long as I've known Lal or Keiko.

You're beginning to feel like home."

Reborn stared at her in surprise. Tsunade, also realizing what she just said, quickly turned her attention back to the piano. "Sorry," she muttered.

Reborn, unsure what to say, changed the subject. "Are you going to explain to me why there is a boy on your bed?"

"Well, it's kind of complicated," Tsunade said sheepishly as the two of them looked over at the boy currently snuggled under Tsunade's bed covers, sound asleep. "His name is Roumi Sakamoto. I found him on my way back from Vongola Headquarters when he tried to pick my pocket. I was surprised to find that he was able to see through my illusion and realized that he might have the same bloodline trait as me, so I decided it would be best if I took him off the streets before someone took advantage of his power."

Tsunade stood up and walked over to the boy, looking at him with concern. "I intend to train him alongside my other students. He may not be able to immediately match their fighting prowess, but I hope his street smarts will make up for this disadvantage. He could teach a thing or two to my arrogant students. I called Nana and she said she would be delighted to look after him for me, so I'll drop him off tomorrow. Sakamoto had trouble falling asleep, so I played the piano for him."

 _She didn't mention anything about her singing,_ Reborn thought. _Is she embarrassed of it? No, she's not one to be ashamed of her shortcomings. Could there be another reason?_

Seeing that Tsunade seemed tired as well, Reborn decided not to ask her about it. "Well, it looks like you'll be sleeping on the couch today."

Tsunade groaned. "I didn't think this through," she said, slapping herself on the forehead. "Whatever. I can deal with a crick or two in my neck."

Reborn smirked and turned to leave the room. Before he left, however, he turned back and saw that Tsunade was gently stroking Sakamoto's hair with a caring look on her face. He was surprised by how tenderly Tsunade acted towards Sakamoto. She probably felt some sort of bond with the child, since they both had to deal with the stress of having such an overwhelming power.

 _She almost looks like a mother with her child. I wonder if she ever wanted a family of her own._

Reborn left the room, frowning. He never gave much thought to what would happen to Tsunade after their marriage was terminated. Assuming the Puppeteer didn't kill her in the process, he probably would return to her normal duties as a Vongola mafioso and maybe even marry again, this time for real. If Tsuna never married, then Tsunade's children would become the next Vongola boss, and knowing her, they would flourish under her training. Reborn shook his head and tried to push these thoughts out of his head.

 _It's none of my business what she does with her life after her mission is done,_ he thought firmly.

However, as Reborn walked down the hallway to his own room, he felt very, very conflicted about the thought of her calling someone else her husband.

* * *

 **A/N: The next chapter is pretty long and holds many shocking revelations, so I hope you will look forward to it! Thank you to _Crazed Aj_ , _Ducki9_ , and _Nekohana_ for reviewing!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Last update for a while! Reading this through, I realize a lot of things may seem random to you all, but I promise everything will connect in the end. There is no part of this that wil not be used as a plot device later on, so keep that in mind.**

* * *

It was a normal morning. Fresh coffee was made. Eggs were laid out on a plate. Piano music floated through the halls. Fresh bullet holes were in the training room wall. Blood was on the training room floor.

…maybe it wasn't such a normal morning.

 _But it's normal to me_ , thought Reborn as he took a sip of coffee. _My internal alarm clock goes off at 4:30 AM. Tsunade's goes off an hour later. We spar for an hour, hour and a half max, then she retreats up to her room to get ready. The piano playing is new, though._

He listened to her play _Clair de Lune_ with impeccable technical skill and musicality. _She pours her emotions into her music so that she doesn't have to express them. I'm not surprised that Lal Mirch, the world's most stern person ever, would teach her to do something like that. The real question is…_

 _What is she running from?_

Tsunade's playing stopped, and a few seconds later, Reborn heard her open her bedroom door and soon came into sight at the top of the stairs.

"Good morning, dame-Tsunade," he said as she shuffled down the stairs. Tsunade replied with a flat grunt and made a beeline for the coffee machine. Reborn grinned as he watched her fill her mug to the brim before settling down in the seat across from him.

 _Tsunade might be awake enough to fight, but she's unable to fully interact with people until she's had some sort of caffeinated drink,_ he thought, amused. Reborn was particularly fond of mornings because it was the only time when all of Tsunade's carefully constructed barriers were down. Until the caffeine kicked in, he could see all her real emotions flicker across her face. Tsunade still rarely smiled, but it was refreshing for Reborn to confirm that she wasn't actually a robot. Her brow would furrow when she burned her tongue. The corner of her lips would turn upwards when she took her first sip of coffee.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was glad there was a side to her that only he and a few other people could see.

Reborn's cellphone rang, startling him out of her thoughts. He took a look at the caller ID, and his mood immediately darkened. After toying with the idea of just letting the call go to voice mail, Reborn abruptly got out of the chair and walked out of the room, answering the call.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"My, my, now that's a rude way to greet your fellow Arcobaleno," said Verde on the other end. "Though I suppose it's my fault. I accidentally dialed your number when I meant to call your…wife."

Reborn gritted his teeth, knowing Verde called him on purpose simply to irritate him. "What do you want?" he repeated.

"I was just calling to remind Tsunade of our appointment later today."

"Appointment?"

"Yes, appointment," said Verde mockingly. "Do try to keep up, Reborn. Inferior intellect is no excuse for redundancy."

Reborn wanted to throw his phone across the room. "She never told me she had an appointment with you," he growled.

"Did she not?" said Verde innocently. "It must've slipped her mind. In that case, I'm glad I called to remind her. Please pass on my message to her, would you? Oh, but be gentle.

I know how grumpy she can be in the morning."

Verde hung up with a 'click', and Reborn stood there, gripping his phone in anger.

"Who was that?" asked Tsunade, who was looking at him curiously from the kitchen counter. If Reborn wasn't nearly shaking with rage, he might've laughed at her sleepy expression. Instead, he glared at her.

"Verde," he said flatly. "He accidentally called me to remind you of some appointment today."

"Ah," said Tsunade, turning her attention back to her coffee. "I haven't forgotten. He doesn't have to remind me." Even as she said this, a small smile crept onto her face, as if she felt touched by his gesture, and for some reason, this angered Reborn even more.

"How do you two know each other?"

"We're friends."

"He told me you were only an acquaintance."

Tsunade shrugged nonchalantly. "If that's what he's calling us, then that's fine by me." This obviously didn't matter to her very much, and Reborn honestly didn't understand why it mattered so much to him.

"Why didn't you tell me you had an appointment with him?" Reborn said sharply.

"I didn't think it was that important," replied Tsunade, surprised and a little hurt by his harsh tone. "He's meeting me at Vongola Headquarters, and I'm going to be there to train my students in the afternoon anyway. Besides, you told me you needed to accompany Yuni again, so I didn't want to bother you. Why do you need to know?"

"What is the appointment for?"

"None of your damn business!" snapped Tsunade. Her barriers had gone back up.

"What I don't understand," said Reborn, crossing his arms. "Is why he continues to do all these favors for you. He's a ruthless scientist with no sense of loyalty, and yet he keeps implying that you have some history with him that surpasses the need for loyalty."

"Well since you seem to care about it so damn much," said Tsunade angrily. "I'll tell you. Three years ago, we were working on a special project together. After months of testing and research, we finally finished. To celebrate, and yes, a prick like Verde can still celebrate, we went out for a few drinks, only a few drinks became a lot of drinks. Both of us might have gotten quite drunk, and one thing led to another…"

Tsunade trailed off, suddenly realizing everything she said in her rant, but it didn't take long for Reborn to connect the dots.

"You _slept_ with him?!" he said incredulously. "You had a one night stand with the most uncaring person to live?!"

"Not just one night…"

Reborn felt like he wanted to break something. "I can't believe you were romantically involved with Verde! Does Tsuna know? Does _anyone else_ know?"

"Why does it even matter to you?" snapped Tsunade, standing up to meet his glare. "It's all in the past anyway! I don't ask _you_ about the three girlfriends you had while training my brother! And for your information, there was no romance involved! We were two consenting adults who occasionally sought each other's company! Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Verde cares about nothing but his experiments," said Reborn fiercely.

"Do you think I don't know that?!" shouted Tsunade, slamming her hands down on the counter. "I've worked with him for three years on his experiments, and I've never seen him give a caring look to anything but his vials and inventions. Despite all this, he still treats me with more respect than most of my own famiglia does! To mafiosos everywhere, I'm nothing more than a sore sight, but to Verde, I'm at least an intellectual equal."

"He will betray you."

Tsunade laughed bitterly. "You know what? Everyone will inevitably betray you if you're not careful. You know this. I know this. It's the unwritten rule of the mafia world. Everyone is just waiting to stab you in the back, even if you think they lo—"

Tsunade abruptly stopped talking, catching herself before she said too much. Then, she downed the rest of her coffee in a single gulp and slammed the empty mug onto the counter.

"Whatever," she muttered irritably. "I better get going. I don't want Verde to wonder why I'm late."

Reborn grabbed her arm as she tried to walk by. "You're nothing more than an interesting test subject to him!"

"How is that any different from what I am to you?" asked Tsunade, violently yanking her arm out of his grip.

"You are my wife!"

"I am your _bait_!" retorted Tsunade harshly. "Don't think that I've forgotten that I am just a means for you to achieve your revenge! I knew exactly what I agreed to when I signed that damn marriage contract, but you have no right to try to control every aspect of my life! Your life is dominated by revenge! I don't understand why you care so much!"

With that, Tsunade pushed past Reborn, grabbed her cloak and fedora, and stormed out of the house. Reborn stood there, clenching and unclenching his fists.

He knew that she was right. There was no reason for him to care about who she was involved with in the past, or even who she was involved with now. Tsunade was supposed to be a tool to him, simply a way for him to exact his revenge. He had no right to get involved in aspects of her life that were not directly related to her connection to the Puppeteer. However, Reborn could barely contain the fury he felt when he thought of Verde sleeping with Tsunade, his lips nipping at her neck and leaving a trail of marks on her skin as she entangled her hands in his hair…

Reborn punched a hole in the wall just as the sound of a phone ringing filled the room. Breathing heavily, he extracted his fist from the wall, shaking off the drywall and droplets of blood. He listened closely and tensed up when he realized the ringing wasn't coming from his usual cell phone; it was coming from a burner phone that he kept in a hidden cupboard for one specific purpose. Reborn quickly leapt over the kitchen counter and retrieved the phone from the cupboard.

"What is it?" he demanded. "Is he on the move again? Did he create another art piece?"

"Good morning to you too, Ren," purred a female voice. "I hope you've had an enjoyable 3 month break."

"Don't mess with me!" hissed Reborn. "Has he contacted you or not?"

"Ouch," said the other voice, pretending to be hurt. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood, but yes, he has."

Reborn inhaled sharply. It's been a very long time since he had a lead. "I'll meet you at the usual place. You better not be joking around."

"Of course," she replied, amused. "I have all the details. You know what you need to do to get them."

Reborn hung up and stared at the phone. He never questioned how his source got the information, only that he was 100% sure that she was the only one who had direct contact with the Puppeteer. When he first met her, he tried very hard to extract the information out of her on his terms, but she was surprisingly resilient. With no friends, no relatives, and no personal connections, his source was a ghost in the world, free to do what she wanted with no fear of the consequences. Reborn was sure she was a puppet of the Puppeteer, but this meant she could avoid any tails or attempts to track her movements as long as she was still under the Puppeteer's control. This meant that Reborn was forced to negotiate on her terms, and her terms were….different.

Reborn reopened the cupboard and threw the phone back in. After a moment's hesitation, he placed his wedding band in beside it as well. He needed his source's information, no matter what the cost. Tsunade was right. His life was dominated by revenge. Everything he did was for Luce.

 _Luce._

 _Luce._

 _Luce._

* * *

Kotou Akio stood in a soundproof testing room with about 20 of his colleagues, absentmindedly polishing his AK-47.

 _Verde makes us do some weird things, but this takes the cake,_ he thought. His boss was a very cold man, and he often made his henchmen participate in his experiments. However, Verde only tested on humans after extensive research and trials, probably because he hated paying worker's compensation required of him under the Vongola Grand Alliance treaty, and the pay and benefits were good, so Akio didn't have many complaints.

However, this current experiment was the strangest yet, and that was saying something. Their only instructions were to shoot at anyone who entered the room, no matter what he or she said. Akio looked briefly at the upper floor window, behind which stood Verde and the brunette woman who often assisted his boss. Before walking in, Akio heard a snippet of their argument, in which the woman kept insisting she hated using "it" on people while Verde said that all of his henchmen were used to being guinea pigs anyway. All of Verde's employees had mixed feelings about the woman, but none were hostile towards her. She was courteous towards them and never acted condescending, which is why all the henchmen wondered how she got involved with the cruel, cold-hearted, and arrogant Verde. Half of them, including Akio, were disappointed that they lost the company bet whether Verde was asexual or not.

Akio watched as the woman disappeared from view. A few minutes later, he heard the door handle turn. He sighed and cocked his rifle, hearing all his colleagues do the same.

 _Verde promised a bonus if we even got one shot off before being disarmed,_ Akio thought as he readied himself. _I never hated that woman, but a job's a job. I hope she won't have any hard feelings._

She stepped into view, but a split second before Akio could pull the trigger, she said a single word.

"Stop."

Akio immediately froze. He couldn't move. No, that wasn't right. He didn't _want_ to move. There was something about her words that sounded very convincing…

The brunette woman slowly took a few steps forward. "Those weapons are very heavy," she said softly. "You all want to put them down."

Akio frowned. He didn't notice it earlier, but she was right. His AK-47 did feel very heavy, and his arms couldn't support it for much longer. Akio dropped it and heard a loud "crash" as all of the other henchmen also let go of their weapons.

"You'll forget that Verde told you to be part of this experiment."

What was he doing again? Why was his AK-47 on the floor? Did he drop it? Akio couldn't quite remember why he was standing in a testing room. He looked around at his colleagues in confusion.

The woman started humming, and Akio recognized the tune to be a lullaby. When she began singing, Akio felt abnormally calm and fell to his knees. Her voice was so hypnotic, and it promised to take all of his worries away if he would just listen to it. His eyelids felt heavy, and he could barely keep his eyes open for long. Before he fell to the ground, Akio dreamily thought of a story his mother told him when he was younger about mermaids with such beautiful songs that they would hypnotize men into following them out to sea.

 _And those affected would be sent to their doom…_

* * *

Tsunade quickly exited the testing room, trying her hardest to ignore the bad taste in her mouth.

 _I hate Verde for making me do this,_ she thought angrily as she climbed the stairs leading to the observation room. _He hasn't asked me to use my power on people for four years because he knows it brings up bad memories._

She flung open the door. Verde looked up briefly from his calculations and smirked at her furious expression.

"Don't look at me like that," he said as he punched a few numbers into his calculator. "It'll cause wrinkles to form on your lovely face."

Tsunade scowled at him. "My Flames are a heavily guarded secret, Verde," she growled. "What would I do if your subordinates remembered this experiment?"

"They won't," he replied nonchalantly. "I have enough confidence in your abilities to trust that they won't remember a thing. After all, I created your Flames, and my creations are flawless."

Tsunade had a biting response but decided to hold her tongue. Her history with Verde went much farther back than she revealed to Reborn. When she was ten, against her father's wishes, she agreed to an experiment designed by Verde. It was supposed to amplify her weak potential for Sky Flames, but something went horribly wrong and she ended up developing a new Flame that was unheard of before.

This Flame was very different from the Flames Tsuna and his guardians had. Instead of visibly appearing on weaponry or on specific parts of the body, Tsunade's Flames were confined to circulation within her body. Though Tsunade couldn't weaponize her Flames, Verde found that her Flames allowed her to manipulate the Flames of others to the point that she could nearly control their mind. Everyone, even civilians, had some Flames that circulated through their bodies, but most were as weak as Tsunade's. Hitmen were people who could bring out the Flames from their bodies and use them to their advantage. However, this meant that they were all susceptible to Tsunade's power, which strangely manifested itself in her voice. Fearful of the possible consequences, Tsunade chose to keep this new ability a secret, and as a result, very few people knew that she wasn't actually "Flameless".

"Have you used your Flames recently?" asked Verde suddenly, pulling Tsunade out of her thoughts.

"Yes, but only briefly," admitted Tsunade. "I sang to my newest student when he had trouble falling asleep."

"How kind of you," said Verde flatly. "Did Reborn hear you?"

"I don't think so," replied Tsunade. "He would've fallen asleep if he did."

"I'm surprised you would hide this from him. Why do you choose to hide this power that would bring you the respect of many hitmen? They would no longer mock you and call you Flameless."

Tsunade bit her lip and looked away. "I have my reasons."

Verde just nodded and scribbled a few things down in his notebook. "Anyway, your recent use of Flames would explain why your Flame output is a bit lower than my initial prediction. I knew there weren't any problems with my calculations."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. He was always like this. After a few more minutes of silence, Verde sighed and put his glasses back on.

"Despite using your Flames sporadically, your body's Flame production has been increasing exponentially," said Verde, looking at his calculations. "If this continues, you'll end up burning yourself from the inside out, or releasing a massive surge of power that would destroy you in the process."

Tsunade stiffened. She had been afraid of hearing that. Normal hitmen could balance Flame production in one of two ways: they could either use their Flames at a faster rate than it is produced, or they could cap their Flame use and only draw it out with the use of a special chemical, which is what Tsuna did with his Dying Will Flames. Unfortunately for Tsunade, she was unable to do either because her Flames were produced at an uncontrollable rate, like cancer cells, and she couldn't make them materialize. This put her at high risk for Overheating, which is why she had to have these annual appointments with Verde. Only he knew how to monitor her Flames and find ways to control them.

In some way, Verde saved her life.

"Here." Verde gave her a bottle of pills. "These have the same Anti-Flame materials that I used to make your baton, so they'll temporarily drain the Flames from your body. Side effects include extreme fatigue, so make sure you're in a secure place before you take them."

Tsunade nodded, grabbing the pill bottle. Verde attempted to stand up, but he stumbled forward.

"Are you ok?" Tsunade asked in concern, catching him before he fell.

Verde shook her off with an annoyed expression. "Of course," he mumbled irritably, but he almost fell over again. Tsunade placed a hand to his head as she helped him up, surprised by how warm it felt.

"You've been overworking yourself again, haven't you?" she said accusingly. Verde refused to answer but looked off to the side guiltily.

"Dammit Verde!" snapped Tsunade. "Sleeping and eating are not optional tasks!"

"Mind over matter."

"This is not what the phrase means!"

"It is if you put your mind to it."

Tsunade covered her face in exasperation. "You idiot," she said, slinging one of his arms over her shoulder. Verde protested weakly, but he was too drained to stop Tsunade from dragging him over to the cot in the back of the room. Tsunade helped him onto the cot and draped a blanket over him, glaring at him intensely the entire time.

"You will stay _right here_ until I get back from the cafeteria with something to ensure you won't starve to death," hissed Tsunade. "If you move from the cot, then I will feed you through an IV, got it?"

Verde stared at her for a second, and then he began chuckling. "Fine, you win," he said, lying back on the cot. "If I knew all I had to do to have you wait on me hand and foot was to be sick, I would've done this sooner."

"Why you…" Tsunade barely restrained herself from hitting him. "I'll be back in a few minutes. _Do not move._ "

Before Tsunade left the room, however, Verde asked her a question.

"Do you ever resent me for turning you into the Black Lorelei?"

Tsunade froze at the doorway. "You couldn't have known that your experiment would fail and corrupt my Flames," she said after a moment of silence. "It was my own greed and ambition that made me this way. Besides…" She turned around and gave him a stiff smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm the Black Rose Huntress now."

She quickly left the room. _He must really be feeling feverish,_ she thought as she weaved in and out of the people walking past her. _Verde never expresses regret for his experiments. He probably mentioned it to document my expression and put it in with the rest of his research._

However, Verde's words continued to bother her.

 _Why do you choose to hide this power that would bring you the respect of many hitmen?_

Tsunade understood why Verde would ask her that. She looked at the other hitmen around her, feeling their condescending looks directed back at her. Tsunade hated that feeling, and she wished she could show them her real powers. They wouldn't laugh at her then.

 _You were formed in the same fire as I was._

 _You're a monster too._

Tsunade inhaled sharply, clutching her head in pain. _These memories have been coming up more and more lately_ , she thought, unconsciously pulling at her gloves. _I hope it's not a bad sign._ She spent the first ten years of her life desperately wishing for a chance to obtain Flames, but now that she had them, all she wanted to do was keep them hidden. It was a strange situation, but her reason for keeping it a secret was obvious to her.

She would rather be called Flameless than be called a monster.

* * *

Verde glared at Tsunade as she forced him to eat the last bite of porridge, swallowing it the same way he swallowed his dignity.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" said Tsunade mockingly.

"One day, you'll regret agreeing to let me cut you open," swore Verde.

Tsunade laughed. "I'll be dead anyway, so that's fine." She placed the empty bowl on the table.

"I'm going to go train my students now, but I'll come back before I leave headquarters to check on you," she said, grabbing her cloak and fedora. "If you dare move, I will use my Flames and make sure you will never get up again."

Verde raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" he said curiously. "Please do. I would enjoy a chance to test out the new earplugs I designed specifically to counter your ability."

"And if you won't listen," continued Tsunade, cracking her knuckles. "I will knock you out."

"You hitmen are so brutal," replied Verde with a sigh. "Your talents would be put to better use in the laboratory than out punching the lights out of people."

"I think you're getting me confused with your henchmen," replied Tsunade. "But since we're friends, I'll let it slide."

Tsunade was about to leave, but Verde called out to her hesitantly. "Tsunade?"

She tilted her head to the side in a way that reminded Verde of an owl. "Yes?"

"Would you be a dear and put my glasses on the table?"

Tsunade sighed. "Were you always this demanding?" She went to him, and as she pulled off his spectacles, Verde reached up and brushed his hand against her lips.

"Verde?" said Tsunade, confused. "Are you feeling feverish?"

Verde stared at her for a split-second, then he rolled around to the other side of the cot. "Yeah," he muttered. "Maybe some rest wouldn't hurt."

He heard Tsunade laugh and leave the room, closing the door behind her.

 _You're such a fool Verde,_ he thought to himself bitterly. _She's married, and to your enemy too. Your only connection to her is through your failed experiment._

"'Friends'?" he murmured in disgust. "Don't make me laugh. I have no need for such ties."

Yet…Verde couldn't stop looking at the hand that touched her mouth, keenly aware that the heat in his cheeks was not because of his fever.

 _Have you really forgotten, Tsunade?_ he wondered. _Have you forgotten what you told me at your last appointment?_ He sighed deeply and thought about what he asked her a little while ago.

 _You couldn't have known that your experiment would fail and corrupt my Flames._

Verde felt his chest constrict painfully. He shouldn't have any remorse for the way his experiment turned out because he cared about nothing but his experiments.

 _But Tsunade isn't just an experiment, is she?_ said the snide voice in his head. _And she would hate you if she knew the truth._

"Would you hate me?" whispered Verde.

"Would you hate me for creating a monster?"

* * *

 _ **3 months ago, Verde's laboratory…**_

 _Tsunade jerked her head away from Verde's hand under her chin. "Don't do that," she said sharply._

 _Verde stared at her in exasperation. "Why not? I'm just trying to examine your throat for signs of strain from using your Flames."_

" _I know, but I'd rather you not touch my mouth so carelessly," she said._

" _If I remember last night correctly," replied Verde with a smirk. "It was you who couldn't keep your lips off of me."_

 _Tsunade flushed dark red. "Th-that's not what I meant!" she stammered, crossing her arms. "It's just that Papa once told me that if a man brushed his hand against my lips accidentally three times, I would fall in love with him."_

 _Verde raised an eyebrow. "You don't actually believe that urban legend, do you?"_

" _No, but this has been the second time, and I'm not taking any chances," said Tsunade quickly._

" _Ah," said Verde, amused. "And would it be such a horrible thing? To fall in love with me?"_

 _Verde meant it as a joke, but Tsunade seemed to seriously consider the question._

" _No, I guess not."_

 _Verde blinked at her in surprise. That was not the response he expected. Tsunade sighed and wrapped her cloak around her._

" _I have to go," she said apologetically. "My brother has called me to headquarters for an emergency meeting. I really hope it doesn't rain. I hate the rain."_

 _The moment she left the room, Verde quickly took a blood sample from his arm and fed it into the machine._

" _Excessive levels of dopamine, oxytocin, and vasopressin," he muttered to himself, reading off the results. "This is very strange. I've never had these kind of readings before." Verde went online to try to interpret what these results meant, but all he got were scientific articles on the chemistry of…love?_

" _There's no way I can be in love," he said in disbelief. "However, that's a completely foreign feeling to me, so perhaps..."_

 _Verde quickly shoved his blood test results in a drawer and blew out a frustrated breath. He didn't know what to make of his findings, so he decided to push them off to the side for now. However, as he tried to work on his other experiments, he found that he couldn't take his mind off her._

 _Tsunade._

 _Tsunade._

 _Tsunade._

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to _shelia-cloud_ , _spicyrash_ , _Ducki9_ , and _Nekohana_ for reviewing! This will be the last chapter in a while, but thanks for your continuous support!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Ok yeah so this will actually be the last chapter until the summer because there's just so much going in my life in April and May that I don't have time to write, unfortunately. This is more of a fluff/transitionary chapter but I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

"The last thing I expected to do when I came home from training," muttered Tsunade to herself as she mixed plaster in a giant bucket. "Was fix a hole in the wall."

Tsunade came back to the house late in the evening, exhausted but pleased after a long day of training. All three of her students were making excellent progress, especially Sakamoto, who now lived with Nana and Iemitsu. She had been worried about how her other two students would treat him when she first introduced Sakamoto to them a week ago, but Sakura, always the dignified one, gracefully welcomed him into the group. Hiroshi was a tougher nut to crack because of his superiority complex, but he was knocked down a peg after Sakamoto revealed that he had taken all of Hiroshi's knives after they ran into each other in the hallway.

" _His street smarts overrules your formal training out in the field," Tsunade had said with a smirk as Hiroshi hastily rearmed himself and tried to conceal his embarrassment. "Sakamoto can teach you how to read people, and you two can teach him how to fight."_

Since then, Sakamoto had improved in leaps and bounds. When picking out his primary weapon, Tsunade was surprised that he chose the Arachnid*, which was an extremely unwieldy blade attached to many yards of thin steel thread reinforced by a special type of spider silk that made it nearly impossible to break. However, Sakamoto's quick reflexes and Fated Eyes made it possible for him to control the weapon like a spider weaving a web, and during today's training session, Sakamoto trapped Sakura in his thread before she even noticed. Though he still lacked in physical strength and fighting prowess, he used his cleverness to his advantage, and Tsunade respected that.

After training, Tsunade checked on Verde one last time. He had kept his word and was sound asleep on the cot, and the look of his sleeping face made her chuckle. Verde was one of her few friends who respected her, and she treasured that bond, even if Reborn hated the man.

 _Reborn._

Tsunade slathered plaster onto the wall hole patch she stuck on, ladling it out of the bucket with a stick. Upon realizing there was a hole, Tsunade had rummaged around the storage closet until she found the materials she needed to repair it.

 _I could tell he was angry, but I didn't know he was angry enough to punch a hole in the wall_ , she thought. She couldn't quite figure out why Reborn was so furious this morning. Until their argument, their relationship had been more than agreeable. He restricted her movement, but Reborn never told her who she could or couldn't meet. Tsunade knew Reborn didn't get along with Verde because they didn't trust each other, but she had not expected such a strong reaction to hearing that she had a tryst with Verde in the past.

 _Does he really hate Verde that much? Or does he hate the idea of me meeting up with him?_

Tsunade let out a harsh laugh. Reborn? Jealous? It was hilarious for her to even think about. Their entire marriage was based on Reborn's desire for revenge. Tsunade had gotten angry with him because he tried to lecture her about betrayal when in the end, she was nothing more than a pawn in his plan. She knew he was in love with someone else. There was no room in his heart for her.

 _And do you want to be in there? In his heart?_ asked a voice in her head. Tsunade flushed dark red.

"No, of course not!" she snapped to no one in particular. This was a mission, dammit! There were no personal feelings involved. It was fine for them to be friends, but Tsunade had to be ready to throw everything away when the time came. Of course, she would try to survive if attacked by the Puppeteer, but she was prepared to die for Reborn's revenge to be complete. Her loyalty to the Vongola was absolute. She would see this mission through to the end.

Yet…she was beginning to notice the small little quirks in Reborn's behavior that made her smile when he wasn't looking. He would play with his sideburns when deep in thought. He would tug at his ear when frustrated. He would grin when she struggled to keep up with him during their training sessions. Despite her best efforts, she was becoming more and more aware of him…

 _It's ok to fall in love, Tsunade._

Tsunade almost dropped the plaster covered stick. She whirled around, but there was no one behind her. "Of course there isn't," she said to herself, trying to calm her racing heart. "The only person who said those words to you is dead. She died because you practically painted a red bullseye on her back." However, as she finished up fixing the wall, Tsunade couldn't stop hearing her words in her head.

 _You can't live your life alone._

 _Tears prove you aren't a monster._

 _Pain doesn't define you._

"I get it, Luce!" Tsunade yelled, pounding the wall.

She stared at the ground, breathing heavily. _You always knew what to say, Luce, but I don't know what to do now. If Reborn knew the truth about why the Puppeteer went after you, he would surely hate me._ Her heart clenched.

 _I don't know what I'd do if he hated me._

Tsunade looked up and was shocked to see that right next to the area she just repaired, she accidentally created another hole. She groaned in exasperation and threw her plaster stick to the ground.

"I will deal with this in the morning!" she said in annoyance. Tsunade flopped onto the couch, too tired to deal with the effort of going upstairs and changing, and, remembering Verde's instructions, took a pill from the bottle he gave her. After scribbling a brief note so that Reborn wouldn't think she accidentally overdosed on the pills, she laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling.

She was suddenly keenly aware of the Reborn's absence. He texted her saying that he would arrive home late, so Tsunade wasn't worried (and wouldn't have been anyway). However, looking at the high ceiling in this large mansion, Tsunade felt almost suffocated by the silence. Tsunade found herself missing Reborn's mocking voice and his arrogant smirk that made her heart beat a little quicker. She began to fear falling asleep, wondering if her nightmares would intensify due to her medicated state, but her eyelids soon grew heavy. As she fell asleep, Tsunade couldn't shake off the feeling of intense loneliness that followed her into her dreams.

* * *

Reborn pulled into the driveway and parked, staring at the steering wheel. It was around midnight. He finished his meeting with his source nearly an hour ago and was reviewing the details that she revealed to him in his mind. The Puppeteer planned to leave another "art piece" within a five mile radius of Tokyo, and it would be carried to the location by another one of his puppets before sunrise. Knowing that the drop off usually happened right before the crack of dawn because the Puppeteer loved the risk of getting caught, Reborn decided that he would first go home and get some rest. It was very unlikely that he would even see the Puppeteer at the drop site, but every victim brought Reborn closer to understanding the Puppeteer.

One day, the Puppeteer would make a mistake, and Reborn would be there to exploit it.

He got out of the car and headed into the house. _Tsunade must be asleep by now,_ he thought as he shut the door behind him, noting how silent the house was. He looked at the kitchen counter and was surprised to see a bucket of plaster on the floor next to the hole he left in the wall. Reborn brushed his hand against the hole, realizing that it was smaller than he remembered.

 _Was she planning to fix the wall?_ he wondered. _Even after I was so rude to her earlier?_

Reborn regretted his tone towards her earlier. He wasn't justified in his anger, and it was understandable why she would react so strongly to his persistent questions. There was no reason for him to prod in her past, which was obviously a touchy subject for Tsunade.

Besides, even if Verde was with her in the past, she was with him now.

Reborn frowned at the turn his thoughts took. That wasn't right. Their relationship was purely platonic. It wasn't comparable to her tryst with Verde. He sighed and pushed the confusing thoughts out of his head, deciding to put his energy into fixing the wall so Tsunade wouldn't have to do it in the morning.

After the hole was patched up, Reborn threw out the rest of the plaster and went upstairs to go to his room. However, he noticed that Tsunade's room was empty when he passed by.

 _That's strange,_ he thought with a frown. _She told me she was home._

He went back down the stairs and passed the kitchen, walking into the living room. The corners of Reborn's lips quirked upwards when he saw Tsunade passed out on the couch. Reborn picked up a note with what he recognized to be Tsunade's loopy handwriting on it.

 _Trying out Verde's new experimental medication for sleep loss. Causes extreme fatigue, so it'll take just short of a mini earthquake to wake me up. NOT dead. I'll wake up if the Puppeteer shoots me, so don't worry._

 _Tsunade_

"Dame-Tsunade," said Reborn aloud, chuckling. _She couldn't even make it up to her room before falling asleep, and she's still in her dress shirt and slacks. How amusing._

Reborn was about to leave, but he hesitated. Tsunade was going to wake up with a hell of a cramp in her neck, and as he knew from when she slept on the couch when Sakamoto took her bed, she got _extremely_ grouchy when that happened. It was funny, but he didn't know how her morning attitude would mix with the discovery of another Puppeteer victim. Plus, he felt like he owed her something for being so inconsiderate this morning.

Reborn sighed and walked over to the side of the couch. Carefully, he slipped one of his arms under her legs and the other under the small of Tsunade's back, and he lifted her up.

 _She's lighter than I expected,_ thought Reborn in surprise as he carried her up the stairs. He turned the corner into her room and placed her onto her bed. However, when he let go, he realized that Tsunade had unconsciously grabbed onto his shirt tightly. Reborn looked at her a bit closer and saw that she had knitted her brows and was muttering fitfully to herself.

 _Is she having a nightmare?_ he wondered _If so, it would be unwise to wake her up since hitmen tend to get violent when woken up from nightmares_. He wasn't surprised she wasn't sleeping well because having a brutal serial killer after you does that to a person.

Even so, whatever sleep medication she took was extremely strong, and Tsunade showed no sign of waking up. Reborn tried to pry her fingers off, but her fingers were clamped too tightly, and he assumed Tsunade would not take too kindly to having one of her fingers broken. He didn't want to resort to cutting off his shirt, and explaining to Tsunade why she had a tattered shred of his shirt in her hands was not a conversation he wanted to have in the morning. However, Reborn also didn't want to be leaning over her until she let go because his back would probably break.

"What should I do?" Reborn muttered to himself. He thought about it for a bit longer, then he sighed and resigned himself to the only possible solution. Reborn moved Tsunade over a bit more to the far side of the bed, and then, very carefully, he lowered himself onto the bed as well.

 _I'll only stay here long enough for her to relax her grip and let go,_ he reminded himself. _This for her sake and mine._ Because of their unique situation, however, Reborn found himself staring as Tsunade. Her forehead had tiny beads of sweat on it, and her face was still set in a deep frown.

 _Does she have these nightmares every night?_ wondered Reborn, feeling a twinge of guilt. He never noticed her looking sleep-deprived or feeling tired. Maybe Tsunade was just good at hiding it, since she wasn't exactly a bucket of sunshine and smiles anyway, but Reborn felt as if he should've noticed.

Without thinking, Reborn reached out and brushed the hair out of her face, brushing his hand across her cheek and lingering near her ear. At his touch, Tsunade's face softened slightly, and she smiled. It was not the troubled smile Reborn was accustomed to seeing, or the smug smile she wore in front of her students. It was a sweet smile free of darkness that made Reborn's pulse quicken slightly, and when it vanished as her tormented look quickly came back, he felt a keen sense of loss. Hesitantly, he ran his fingers through her hair, and he felt a sense of relief when her troubled expression dissipated again.

"It wouldn't hurt, you know," whispered Reborn, unable to stop watching her.

"It wouldn't hurt if you smiled a bit more."

* * *

Tsunade woke up at 5:30 AM, unable to ignore the ringing of her internal alarm clock despite the fact she felt like she'd been hit by a truck.

 _I expected some weakness but this is ridiculous,_ thought Tsunade as she clutched her pounding head. _I can barely get out of bed in this state! Wait…_

Tsunade looked around, confused. She was in her room…but she could've sworn she collapsed on the couch last night. Tsunade tried to remember exactly what happened last night, but she hit a foggy wall.

"I feel too weak to deal with dig through my memories," she muttered to herself. "Where the hell does Reborn keep the aspirin?" Having her Flames drained from her felt like she lost a gallon or two of blood. However, since her Eyes were not affected by her Flame loss, she could sense that Reborn wasn't in the house. A part of her thought it was strange that he would be gone this early, but another part of her dismissed his absence as a result of their argument last night.

 _At least I don't have to spar today,_ thought Tsunade as she stumbled into her bathroom and got into the shower. _There's no way I can fight like this._

She felt a bit better after taking a quick shower. After drying her hair and dressing herself, she slowly made her way down the stairs. Tsunade somehow got to the kitchen without falling over and made herself a cup of coffee. Looking at the wall, she was surprised to see that the hole was gone and the materials she was using last night were nowhere to be seen.

 _That's funny,_ she thought, squinting at the wall curiously. _I have no recollection of fixing the other hole. Then again, my memory is fuzzy at best right now. I better tell Verde about this memory loss. He'll be eager to study this side effect._

Tsunade reached for her phone to message Verde at the same time that it began ringing. She looked at the caller ID and, seeing that it was her brother, answered the call.

"Good morning, Tsuna-nii," said Tsunade wearily.

"Tsunade? Are you ok?" asked Tsuna, concerned. "You sound like you didn't even sleep."

"It's a long story," she replied with a sigh. "Anyway, why are you up so early? You usually don't start work until the sun is well up past the horizon."

"The Puppeteer has left another victim."

Tsunade froze. The coffee in her mouth suddenly tasted like sand. "Where?" she asked when she trusted herself to speak again.

"Shibuya," said Tsuna grimly. "I've sent the exact address to you through text. We've completely shut down the area, and we've confirmed that no one has seen the 'art piece'. Well, no one except Reborn."

"Reborn is there already?"

"He said he's been here for a while," said Tsuna with a sigh. "How he got the information before us, I still don't know. Reborn claims that he didn't see the Puppeteer, though, which means the Puppeteer either left the art piece before Reborn came, or Reborn didn't know the exact location and had to search for it. Anyway, I've sent a car to pick you up. I'll see you in a bit."

Tsunade set down her phone after hanging up, looking at the ceiling in a daze. How did Reborn know where the Puppeteer would leave his piece? She wanted to ask him, but she also knew she had no right to get into his business. She sighed and poured the rest of her coffee down the drain, unable to drink any more, and got up, wincing from the pain that coursed through her body.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Reborn couldn't tear his eyes from the Puppeteer's victim despite the strong feeling of revulsion that threatened to overwhelm him.

The victim, a brunette woman, was in a chair facing an easel, wearing an artist's beret and eerily posed like an artist working on a new painting. Her hand, marked with a black "X" like all of the others, was clamped around a brush, and her other hand was under her chin, as if she was pondering how the painting looked. Her sightless eyes gazed forward intensely. It would've been very difficult to tell she was dead if it weren't for her slit wrists and the stitches sealing her mouth shut, which were both done premortem, according to the Vongola medical examiner. The painting was painted in blood, and the subject matter…

 _It may look like the Mona Lisa,_ thought Reborn as he stared at the 18" by 24" canvas. _But those high cheekbones, cat-like eyes, and that angular face and straight hair…_

"It's me."

Reborn looked up, startled. Tsunade was standing next to him, staring at the victim grimly. Her face was pale, but the fire in her eyes burned brightly.

"Disgusting," she spat vehemently. "He probably made her paint with her own blood until she bled out. Maybe he even let her regain control of her speech just to hear her scream and beg. If you don't kill him, Reborn, I will gladly do it for you."

Reborn saw that she was pulling on her gloves again. "Why would he paint you?" he asked.

"It's a message," said Tsunade in disgust. "He wants me to know that this is my fault, that he's doing this all for me…" She trailed off, and Reborn saw her angry expression flicker slightly to reveal the guilt and sorrow in her eyes.

"He's a sociopath," said Reborn. "He's doing this for nothing but his own pleasure. You're just a convenient scapegoat. You can't let him get to you."

Tsunade nodded, but she didn't look entirely convinced. In fact, she looked like she was going to be sick. Reborn watched her closely as she scrutinized the crime scene, noting how she seemed constantly out of breath and unstable on her feet. He almost called out to her to tell her to return home, but the weight of a note and rose in the inside breast pocket of his jacket made him hesitate.

"Tsunade," he said, pulling out the note. "I found this note lying near the victim." Reborn handed it to her.

"'To my first puppet'," Tsunade read aloud. Reborn didn't think it was possible, but whatever blood was remaining in her face drained out quickly.

"Do you mind explaining to me what it means?" asked Reborn. He felt guilty for taking advantage of her weakness, but he had to know more about the Puppeteer.

Tsunade was silent for so long that Reborn was about to drop the subject when she sighed deeply. "I suppose there's no use trying to hide this forever," she said very softly. Hesitantly and with shaky hands, she slowly took off her gloves.

Her hands were marked with two "X"'s.

"I was the Puppeteer's first victim," said Tsunade quietly as Reborn looked at her hands in shock. "I can't explain how it happened, but somehow, five years ago, he got me to lower my guard and abducted me. The Puppeteer imprisoned me for a whole year before my father found me. I was the only one of his victims to successfully escape, so he's been fixated on me ever since." She turned to Reborn and held out her hand. "I suppose you also found a rose?"

Reborn nodded and handed the black rose to her. Tsunade spun it and stared at it with a faraway look in her eyes.

"While I was recuperating, the Puppeteer somehow found me," she whispered. "He thought he still had complete control over me, and in a way, he did. However, I managed to overcome his influence and, when he got close enough, stabbed him in the eye with the stem of a rose given to me by my father. That's way he wears an eye patch over his eye, and that's why I'm called the Black Rose Huntress. The blood soaked petals were so dark that they looked black."

Tsunade stopped talking, lost in her memories. For the first time since he met her, Reborn saw Tsunade without any of the facades she wore. She looked so very vulnerable and alone. Before he knew what he was doing, Reborn took her hands and laced his fingers between hers, feeling the cool metal of her wedding band against his skin. The two of them stood like that for a brief moment, both unsure about what just happened and what to do. Then, Reborn abruptly let go, and Tsunade laughed nervously.

"But all of that is in the past now," she said, returning to her usual tough self. Whatever weakness Reborn saw in her demeanor just moments ago was gone. Tsunade threw the rose to the ground and crushed it with her heel. "What matters now is the future." With that, she walked off quickly to take a closer look at the crime scene.

Reborn didn't know how to describe what he was feeling right now. _This is exactly what happened this morning too,_ he thought, troubled.

He woke up, as usual, at 4:30, surprised that he had somehow fallen asleep. He was even more surprised by the position he woke up in. Tsunade's hands were no longer clutching his shirt. Instead, one of her arms was draped around his waist, and her other hand laid against his chest. Her head was nuzzled under his neck, and he had unconsciously wrapped his arms around her. Reborn had hastily untangled himself and gotten out of bed, relieved that Tsunade barely stirred, but seeing her like that made him pause. This was a side of her that Tsunade would never let him see if she was awake. This Tsunade was tormented by her demons. This Tsunade was searching for someone to save her.

But which Tsunade was the real one?

" _You are my wife!"_

" _I am your bait!"_

Reborn winced slightly as he remembered the argument they had yesterday, but it reminded him that he had to stay professional about this. Their only bond was written on a piece of paper hidden in the depths of Tsuna's desk.

 _This is a paper marriage,_ he reminded himself for the umpteenth time. _It's a black and white situation. Avenge Luce. Kill the Puppeteer. Part ways with Tsunade._

However, what scared Reborn the most was that his first reaction upon waking up was to hold Tsunade closer to him, rather than push her away. He had actually wanted to see the vulnerable side of her that she kept so carefully hidden. Reborn buried the emotions for now, as he was so accustomed to doing, but he still felt uneasy.

Suddenly, the world didn't seem so black and white anymore.

* * *

 **A/N: Things will really start picking up from here! Thanks to _Sailor Pandabear_ , _Hiyoko,_ _Nekohana_ , _Ducki9_ , __, and _spicyrash_ for reviewing!**

*Inspired by the manga _Arachnid_ , which is pretty good imo. This'll become important later on.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Yay! I'm still alive! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. Once summer started, I went traveling and got sidetracked by another fic I was writing. Also, I just had major writer's block this chapter because I'm a lot like you guys: I want to get to the exciting and juicy parts. However, this was an important bridge into the drama that's right around the corner, so I pushed through. Anyway, enough of my lame excuses. Read on!**

* * *

"One more lap!" shouted Tsunade as she watched her students gasp and pant.

"Why do you hate us, Yoki-sensei?" asked Hiroshi as he passed by.

"I don't know why I agreed to this," muttered Sakamoto darkly.

"This is a bit excessive, isn't it?" gasped Sakura.

Tsunade only smirked. She asked them to call her Tsunayoki when they were in headquarters and kept her illusion device on, but she never let them forget for a second that behind her disguise was a Spartan tutor who had no sympathy for them.

 _It's fun being a tutor,_ she thought to herself with a dark satisfaction. She took on her three students nearly a month ago, and every day was a new adventure for all of them. Three days ago, she made them scale the walls in under five minutes, or else she would make them run laps around the room. Two days ago, she made them memorize and impersonate different personas in under four minutes, or else she would make them run laps around the building. Yesterday, she made them sit on the streets and gain as much information as they could from observing passerbys in under two minutes, or else she would make them run laps around the town.

She made them run anyway.

"Tired already?" asked Tsunade as her students collapsed at her feet.

"You, you're too cruel, Yoki-sensei," complained Hiroshi, struggling to catch his breath.

"What's that?" said Tsunade mockingly. "You want to run more laps? I would be happy to oblige!"

Sakura and Sakamoto quickly covered Hiroshi's mouth and glared at him.

"He said nothing of importance," said Sakura quickly.

"Yeah, he just mumbled something about how wonderful you are!" exclaimed Sakamoto.

Tsunade snorted skeptically but smiled at their panicked expressions. After a moment of intense glaring on her students' parts, they grinned as well. Tsunade knew that they understood her, and they knew she was proud of them and their progress. However, as much as they have honed their skills, her students still haven't had a chance to prove themselves against others or in the field.

Tsunade felt three troublesome presences nearing the door of the training room. At first, she felt a prick of annoyance, irritated that she would have to deal with the three idiots approaching, but then she had an idea. Tsunade turned to her students with an evil grin on her face.

"Are you three ready to have some fun?" she asked mischievously. Before her confused students had a chance to ask her what she meant, the training room door burst open.

"Get out of our training room, Flameless!" snarled Sora, strutting into the room with Toma and Rui by his side.

"Good morning to you too, Sora," said Tsunade sarcastically. "As you can see, my students and I are using this room, so I must ask _you_ to please get out."

Sora snorted incredulously. "You? Teach a Fukui and a Kagano? Don't make me laugh. You're such a weakling that can't even fight, let alone teach."

"Hey!" snapped Hiroshi. "Don't talk about Yoki-sensei like that!"

"You will regret it if you continue to behave so disrespectfully towards our tutor," said Sakura coldly.

Toma, Rui, and Sora exchanged amused glances. "You two might come from prominent families, but you're both still children," said Toma arrogantly.

"In fact, you two must be weaker than I thought if you're taking lessons from Flameless," Rui chimed in.

Hiroshi and Sakura bristled and both took a step towards the other three, but Tsunade held them back. "I don't have the time to deal with scum like you," said Tsunade, winking devilishly at Hiroshi and Sakura. "However, I was thinking that you three would make wonderful target practice for my students."

Sora looked at Tsunade as if she had grown two extra heads and sprouted a tail. " _Us_ , full-fledged hitmen, fight with children like them? You must be weaker than I thought if you're relying on children to fight your battles for you."

"No, I'm just tired of beating your asses into the ground every time I see you three," replied Tsunade flatly. "In fact, I don't even think you three will pose a challenge to my students."

"We don't have time to play with children," hissed Toma. "Especially not with two spoiled brats and a street urchin."

"But this street urchin just stole all of your belongings."

Everyone, except Tsunade, whirled around to face Sakamoto, who had somehow made it all the way to the far left wall of the training room without everyone noticing. He pushed himself off the wall and strolled to Tsunade's side, emptying his pockets at Tsunade's feet.

"Three cellphones, three wallets, several expensive throwing knives, a nice looking watch…seems like you three have been on a spending spree!" said Sakamoto innocently.

"Wha—what?!" shouted Sora, frantically checking his pockets. "You little bastard! When did you—"

"When did he take all your belongings?" said Tsunade with a smirk. "He was counting your money before you even started talking. It must've been easy for him, seeing how you three are such ignorant hitmen that you wouldn't register a threat if it came and stabbed you in the chest."

"Why you—" Sora gritted his teeth and nodded his head at Toma and Rui. "Fine. I guess we'll show these little brats the difference between us and them."

Tsunade laughed and took a step back. "Have fun!" she said gleefully to her students.

The following battles were so short that anyone less experienced than Tsunade wouldn't have been able to see the details of all three fights at once. Toma came at Sakura, swinging his own sword at her with impressive speed. However, Sakura simply sidestepped his swings, probably thinking that Toma was moving so slowly compared to how Tsunade sparred. She sighed and abruptly moved out of Toma's range, letting his momentum carry him forward, before hitting him in the back of his head and knocking him out.

Hiroshi didn't have any trouble either. Never the one to run away, he met Rui head on in hand to hand combat. To Tsunade, Rui was incompetent, but anyone below her level was a weakling to her. Rui was actually a seasoned martial artist who, once upon a time, could've given Hiroshi a run for his money. But now, he was simply an arrogant fool whose blows were as annoying to Hiroshi as a fly. After exchanging a few moves, Hiroshi decided to stop playing around and landed a solid punch to Rui's jaw, sending him flying into the wall.

Sakamoto's spar was perhaps the most interesting because there was no actual fighting involved. After Sora saw Rui and Toma both collapse like sacks of potatoes, he came at Sakamoto in a rage…only to walk right into Sakamoto's threads. With a simple tug, the steel-like threads tightened around Sora in a blink of an eye, completely immobilizing him and leaving him dangling in the middle of the room.

"You coward!" snarled Sora, swinging from side to side. "You didn't even fight me!"

"Don't you know?" said Tsunade, strolling over to Sora with a smirk. "A spider doesn't need to fight if its prey is stupid enough to wander into its web."

Her students snickered. Tsunade pushed Sora and turned to her students. "So?" she asked. "How was it?"

"A disappointment," said Sakura flatly.

"Yeah, I expected something more exciting!" lamented Hiroshi.

"Pickpocketing them was more exciting than this," agreed Sakamoto.

Tsunade chuckled. "I guess that shows how much you all have grown," she said, expressing just a little of the immense pride she felt. Her students were truly becoming fine hitmen. She saw them beaming at her, and her heart warmed a little bit. _Maybe I have grown as well._

Tsunade heard soft grunts of pain behind her and realized that Rui was getting up from the wreckage. She sensed that he intended to run at her, and she rolled her eyes.

 _What a bother,_ she thought, irritated. She was about to throw a knife at Rui's leg when she heard Rui scream.

"What a bother," muttered Reborn, pulling his knife out of Rui's leg.

 _Of course he beat me to it._ Tsunade wasn't even surprised that she barely noticed when Reborn entered the room. She was so used to Reborn's presence now that him entering her range was like a puzzle piece clicking back into place. "I had him," she snapped when he walked up to her. "You didn't need to intervene."

Reborn snorted. "As if I'd let such scum touch you," he said, glaring at Rui.

Tsunade scowled but turned away. She and Reborn agreed to act like an actual couple around Sakura and Hiroshi because the Kagano and Fukui families were still watching Tsunade. However, Tsunade still wasn't used to hearing Reborn say things like that.

"Why are you in here anyway?" asked Tsunade, pretending like her heart didn't skip a beat. "I thought you said you had some errands to run."

"I finished early," replied Reborn, looking at Sora dangling, amused. "Your brother also had an urgent mission for us."

"Today?" Tsunade frowned. "Tsuna knows today is a training day though."

"Yes, but it has to be you for this particular mission." Reborn jerked his head towards her students. "In fact, Tsuna even suggested that you bring your students along."

"A mission from the Tenth himself?!" exclaimed Hiroshi. "What an honor!"

Tsunade shot her students a sideways glance. Though Hiroshi was the most vocal of the three, the other two were also buzzing with excitement. She sighed.

 _Well…if Tsuna thinks it's ok for them to tag along, then it can't be a difficult mission,_ thought Tsunade.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "Since these three fools were such a disappointment for my students, I guess it wouldn't hurt to bring them along."

"Yes!" shouted Hiroshi, pumping his fist in the air. Sakamoto grinned and Sakura smiled slightly.

"If they can maintain their covers, of course," Tsunade said loudly, effectively ending Hiroshi's celebration. She sighed and crossed her arms. "What's the mission about anyway?"

Reborn grinned evilly. "I'll tell you four on the car," he said, walking towards the exit of the training rooming and holding the door. "After you."

Tsunade punched Sora in the abdomen before nodding at Sakamoto to loosen and retract his thread. Her students were practically walking on air as they exited the room, which made Tsunade smile.

"Wow, and I thought you just lacked the muscles in your face to smile," said Reborn mockingly.

Tsunade shot him a dirty look. "Whatever," she muttered, brushing past him. As they walked down the hallway, Tsunade avoided looking at Reborn. She recently noticed that when she started staring at him, she couldn't stop.

 _I'm growing weak,_ she thought to herself in disgust.

"Give me a summary of the mission," said Tsunade, trying to distract herself from her own thoughts as they joined her students in the elevator.

"A new weapons dealer has reached out to the Vongola about doing business with the famiglia," explained Reborn. "However, according to the Vongola's spies, the leader of that organization, has an ulterior motive. Tsuna was going to meet with said leader today until this intel came in, so we are going in his place and discerning the leader's true intentions."

"What, so this is an interrogation?" said Tsunade, frowning in confusion. "Why does Tsuna need us to go then? He can just order a retrieval and throw this weapons dealer to Keiko."

"Waste of resources," said Reborn. The elevator door opened, and they walked out of the building to where a black car with tinted windows was waiting.

"Besides," said Reborn as they all climbed into the car. "Dame-Tsuna actually came up with a decent plan this time. Somehow."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, but she was starting to feel as excited as her students did. "And what would that be?"

Reborn smiled slightly. "First things first…

Keep your illusion device on."

* * *

Kazuto Koduka was pleased.

Here, in his very office, was the leader of the mafia world. The tenth boss of the Vongola, which was the strongest famiglia the world has ever seen, was in his office.

 _Sawada Tsunayoshi,_ thought Koduka as he scrutinized the man sitting across from him, smirking at the sight of the Vongola Decimo's spiky gravity-defying hair. _He doesn't look any older than me._

"It's an honor to meet you, Sawada-sama," said Koduka smoothly. "I'm glad you could meet with me to discuss business today."

"The pleasure is all mine," replied Tsuna, though his eyes remained cold.

Koduka chuckled inwardly. The Vongola Decimo had quite a fearsome reputation in the criminal world, but Koduka didn't build his company from the ground up by relying on rumors. His sources said that the Vongola Decima was actually a very compassionate man who let his sentimentality blind him from profitable business prospects. When the Decimo came to power, the mafia world completely changed, becoming a group of organizations that picked up where the law left off.

Koduka hated it.

 _Erasing the sins of the past? Don't make me laugh._ Koduka created his business for one reason and one reason only: money. He didn't care what his weapons were used for as long as he made a buck. Working out a contract with the Vongola would bring in a lot of money, but if that didn't work out…

Koduka briefly glanced under his desk at the .22 pistol in his lower right drawer. The Vongola Decimo's biggest mistake was allowing Koduka to hold this meeting in his company building. Koduka was shocked that the Reborn, the Tenth Giglio Nero boss's Sun Guardian and the World's Strongest Hitman, accompanied the Decimo, but he quickly recovered and politely required that Reborn stay outside the building since this was a meeting between him and the Vongola. Reborn seemed less than pleased, but the Decimo reassured Reborn that he would be fine with his other three bodyguards. However, his other "bodyguards" were just children. One of them didn't seem any older than 12.

 _What is this, a field trip?_ thought Koduka. He allowed the Decimo to bring his bodyguards upstairs but asked him to leave them outside the door. Now, it was just them, and Koduka knew that the Vongola Decimo couldn't use any of his equipment without his Dying Will Flame pills, which Koduka had secretly taken out of the Decimo's pocket when he was helping the Decimo take off his cloak.

He had the Decimo right where he wanted him.

"About the contract I offered to your famiglia," said Kazuto, sliding a copy of the contract to Tsuna. "I hope you find everything agreeable?"

"Everything does seem agreeable," said Tsuna, flipping through the contract to a certain page. "Except for this clause."

Koduka took the contract and read it out loud. "Party A will be allowed to continue doing business with other companies during the time that it is contracted to Party B." He chuckled. "Well a man's got to make some money."

"Not when making said money means supplying RPG launchers to terrorists in Armenia," said Tsuna flatly. "Or selling semiautomatic weapons to rogues in South America."

Koduka paled considerably. _How did he find out?_

"Those are just a few of your more questionable business ventures," said Tsuna, drumming his fingers on the desk. "If you think the Vongola is going to be your next piggy bank, then you're dead wrong. My famiglia prides itself on repenting for the sins of the past, and if you expect to do business with us, then you'll have to halt your dealings with other companies."

Koduka didn't say anything. After a moment of silence, Tsuna sighed and stood up.

"I'm sorry we couldn't come to an agreement," said Tsuna, shaking his head. "I—"

Koduka got up abruptly, pointing his gun at Tsuna's chest. "Don't move."

Tsuna raised his hands up in the air, but it infuriated Koduka to see that the Vongola Decimo was still calm, even amused.

"Let's not do anything we might regret," said Tsuna calmly.

"You don't seem like you understand your position here," hissed Koduka dangerously. "You see, I received an interesting proposition from one of your enemies. I was offered more money than a contract with you could ever provide if I captured you and delivered you to the man that contacted me. Since we can't do business with each other, I guess I'll have to take advantage of the situation."

Tsuna sighed again. "I'm giving you one last chance to put the gun down."

Koduka laughed harshly. "You aren't a threat to me," he snarled. "I took your pills. I know that despite the legends about your strength, you are completely incompetent when it comes to gun or knife handling. Just come with me quietly, and maybe I'll let your bodyguards live."

It happened so quickly that even Koduka could've missed it in a blink of an eye. Tsuna's hand lashed forward, grabbing Koduka's wrist, forcing it down, and twisting the gun out of his gun while breaking Koduka's finger. Koduka screamed in pain.

"How?!" asked Koduka as he clutched his finger. "You shouldn't have this level of skill when it comes to weaponry!"

"My brother was right about you," said Tsuna flatly. "You're arrogant, and you think you know more than you actually do. How pathetic. You don't deserve to meet with the Vongola Decimo."

"Your brother?" snapped Koduka. "Wh—"

 _Sawada Tsunayoshi has one twin brother named Sawada Tsunayoki, but he's regarded as a weak hitman and is currently out on a long term mission anyway._

Koduka froze, remembering what his informant told him. "Sawada Tsunayoki," he whispered.

"Bingo!" crowed Tsunayoki. He reached into his pocket and took out a small device, and, with a flick of a switch, the gravity defying hair came down and revealed a long braid instead. "If you're hoping your guards are coming, don't. My students, or should I say bodyguards, took care of them already, and the oh great Reborn Chaos should be working his way through the other members of you organization."

Tsunayoki grabbed his pills off the table and put them in his pocket. "Sleeping pills," he said with a smirk. "We're going to destroy the many branches of your parasitic organization later, but for now…"

He cocked the gun and pointed it at Koduka's head.

"P-please!" whimpered Koduka, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I'm going to cut off the head of the snake."

A single gunshot rang out.

* * *

Tsunade wrapped her leg behind a henchman's ankle and brought him to the ground, breaking his head and snapping his leg in two.

"That's the last of them," she said, dusting her suit off. She and her three students were in a large storage room meant to store large weapons. It was a breeze, getting rid of all the low level henchman, and after clearing the upper floors, they met here to rendezvous with Reborn.

"That was awesome!" shouted Hiroshi, wiping the blood off his brass knuckles.

"Hey," said Tsunade, glaring at him. "What did I say about delighting in the pain of others?"

Hiroshi looked down at the floor. "That kind of sadism is only seen in psychopaths and Reborn's Spartan training methods."

"What about my training methods?" asked Reborn as he walked through the door of the storage room.

"Nothing," said Tsunade quickly. She stretched her muscles, delighting in how light she felt. Despite rebuking Hiroshi for celebrating, Tsunade was also feeling pretty great. _Nothing feels better than a successful mission,_ she thought, noting that Sakamoto, who was retracting his thread while whistling happily, and Sakura, who was wiping down her blade with a small smile on her face, felt the same.

"Wow, smiling twice in one day," said Reborn, coming up beside her. "Should I expect pigs to start flying as well?"

Tsunade snorted. "Say what you want, Ren," she retorted. "But we did a good job here."

"You did," agreed Reborn. "Although I'm still not happy that you let us get separated."

"Sakamoto left you a thread connecting directly into the office," said Tsunade, rolling her eyes. "You were skilled enough to interpret the vibrations, especially when it jerked taut when I was forced to put my hands up."

"Yes, but I would never forgive myself if I let scum like Kazuto Koduka touch you," said Reborn.

Tsunade flushed dark red. She could feel her students watching and listening to them. _Just an act,_ she reminded herself. _This is just an act._ Even as she told herself that, Tsunade felt her chest tighten painfully.

"Argh!"

Tsunade's and Reborn's heads whipped around to look at Hiroshi, who was clutching his head in pain. Tsunade ran to Hiroshi, catching him before he fell.

"Hiroshi! What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. Seconds later, Sakamoto and Sakura fell to their knees as well. "Sakura! Sakamoto!" Tsunade didn't know what happened. Just a few moments ago, her three students were glowing with adrenaline and excitement. Now, they were pale and shaking, cold sweat beading up on their foreheads.

"Tsunade, what's happening?" asked Reborn, bending down to check on Sakura and Sakamoto

"I don't know! I—" Tsunade felt a strong murderous aura and barely moved fast enough to avoid Hiroshi's throwing knife. Despite his weak state just moments ago, Hiroshi was immediately up on his feet and swung at Tsunade with his brass knuckles.

"What the hell, Hiroshi?" yelled Tsunade, dodging Hiroshi's attacks. She briefly glanced over and saw Reborn swiftly roll to his left to avoid Sakura's sword and then jump up to dodge Sakamoto's thread.

"Tsunade, please give me a good reason why your students are now coming after us?" asked Reborn, jumping backwards to her side.

"I told you! I don't know!" _What's happening?_ thought Tsunade. _Why would they be randomly attacking us? Unless…_

Tsunade's blood ran cold. She looked at her three students and saw that their eyes were dull and unfeeling, trapping their true feelings behind a dark haze. Their movements, though faster, were jerky,

Like a puppet on strings.

 _You'll regret doing this to me, Tsunade._

She widened her sensory range, searching, and then her heart nearly stopped as she felt a chillingly familiar presence on the roof of the building. Tsunade gasped, barely able to breathe.

"Tsunade?" said Reborn, fending off her students as Tsunade struggled to collect herself. "What's happening?"

"He's here," whispered Tsunade.

"The Puppeteer is here."

* * *

 **A/N: The drama is just beginning! Thanks to _Ducki9_ , _Sailor Pandabear_ , _Nekohana_ , _Guest_ , _KuraiUsagiGozo_** ** _raR27_ , and _ImmortalFriend27_ for reviewing!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This was a fun and exciting chapter to write, though it is pretty long. Summertime means more updates from me! Enjoy!**

* * *

Reborn's heart was pumping.

 _He's here,_ he thought as he bent backwards to avoid Sakura's blade. _The Puppeteer is actually here._ When Tsunade's students first swung at him, he honestly thought it had something to do with the jibe Tsunade made about his unorthodox training methods. However, when Tsunade nearly collapsed, he immediately knew that there was a greater force at play here.

Reborn grabbed Hiroshi's wrist, narrowly avoiding his brass knuckles, and delivered a sharp blow to the base of Hiroshi's neck. Under normal circumstances, Hiroshi should've been immediately knocked out. However, he simply quickly recovered and flew at Reborn again, taking the seasoned hitman by surprise. Tsunade pulled Reborn back and flipped Hiroshi over her shoulder.

"It's no use trying to knock them out!" shouted Tsunade as she ducked under one of Sakamoto's threads. "They're puppets now, and puppets don't need to be conscious to be controlled."

Reborn nodded while deflecting Sakura's sword with a small knife. "What do we do then?" he asked.

Tsunade extended her baton and shoved Sakamoto back. "I'll hold my students back," she replied, nullifying Hiroshi's Storm Flames with a flick of her baton. "You go upstairs to the roof. I can't exactly pinpoint his location, but the Puppeteer is definitely there."

Reborn looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure?" he asked as he kicked up a table to block several of Sakamoto's knives. She was just moments away from fainting a few minutes ago, and even now, her skin was unhealthily pale.

"Of course I am!" snapped Tsunade. "I've sparred with them on many occasions, and even though they're faster and basically mindless fighting zombies, I can still take them." She disarmed Sakura and threw Sakura's katana into the wall to prove her point. "I've served my role as bait. It's your turn to fulfill your part of the contract."

Reborn hesitated, but he reluctantly drew back and exited the storage room. The sound of knives and bullets hitting the wall slowly faded as Reborn ran up the stairs. He felt a pang of guilt for leaving Tsunade behind, but she was right. Their entire relationship was built around the contract, and Tsunade had attracted the Puppeteer to their location.

It was Reborn's job to kill him.

Reborn quickly climbed several flights of stairs and then flung open the door leading to the roof. He scanned the area, but it didn't seem like anyone else was there.

"Are you looking for me?"

Reborn spun around, but there was no one behind him.

"Oh, I'm not standing there," said the voice. "I am on the roof, but I was hoping you wouldn't mind playing with one of my puppets instead."

Reborn heard the door open behind him, and he turned around once again. He took a step back in shock as Kazuto Koduka's corpse stared back at him with lifeless eyes, clutching a gun in one hand and a knife. The gunshot wound in his head was still oozing blood.

Koduka spoke, but his voice was that of the Puppeteer. "I predict we have about seven minutes before this puppet bleeds out and is completely useless to me, so let's make this quick."

Reborn gritted his teeth. "You sick bastard!" He read that the Puppeteer was a master of ventriloquism, but to use it in this way was simply disgusting.

"Thank you," said Koduka with an eerie grin. Koduka then came at Reborn at an alarming speed, nearly flying through the air. Reborn barely brought his throwing knife up in time to block Koduka's knife, and he pushed Koduka back. He moved behind a radiator to avoid the bullets that whizzed by.

"Come out, you coward!" shouted Reborn. He threw knives Koduka's way, but the knives just became embedded in Koduka's corpse with a sickening thud.

"I don't think so," said Koduka, pulling out the knives and flinging them at Reborn. "Those knives look sharp."

Reborn rolled out of the way. _How am I supposed to kill someone who's already dead?_ Reborn could've put a bullet in Koduka's head by now, but Tsunade already beat him to the punch an hour ago. Koduka was a literal zombie, his every movement controlled by a psychopath.

"Where's Tsunade?" asked Koduka suddenly. "I know she's here. She's the one who sent this idiotic puppet to his grave."

"None of your business," snapped Reborn. He sharply kicked Koduka's knee, breaking it. Reborn noted that Koduka stumbled a bit. _Interesting…_

"You don't seem to understand," said Koduka as he shot at Reborn. "Tsunade _is_ my business. It's you who should be regarding her with indifference. After all, she has fulfilled her part of the contract."

Reborn's blood froze. _He shouldn't know about that._

Koduka laughed. "Surprised? I know all about the contract between the Vongola and the Giglio Nero, including your fake marriage to Tsunade."

Reborn quickly recovered from his shock and landed a strong punch to Koduka's chest, breaking several of his ribs. Koduka stumbled forward, coughing. Taking advantage of Koduka's moment of weakness, Reborn darted forward, flipped in the air, and planted a small explosive in the base of Koduka's neck. He hit the ground running and dove behind a concrete structure right before Koduka was blown apart.

 _Forgive me_ , thought Reborn, sick to his stomach. Yes, he was a killer, but mutilating the remains of his enemies was not something he condoned. However, after observing Koduka, he came to the conclusion that the only way to stop one of the Puppeteer's puppets was to completely destroy them.

"Your puppet is gone!" shouted Reborn. "Now come out and face me!"

There was a brief moment of silence, and then the Puppeteer's laugh rang out, filling the air.

"You're even cleverer in person!" said the Puppeteer, his voice still impossible to pinpoint. "I've heard so much about you, but my word, very few people have found the weakness of my puppets. In fact, only you and your wife know how to disable my puppets, and Tsunade is all alone downstairs with three puppets…"

"Those are her students!" snapped Reborn. "She would never do anything to harm them!" He moved slowly, narrowing his focus to find the Puppeteer.

"The Tsunade _you_ know would never hurt them," replied the Puppeteer. "But you don't know anything about her. You don't know anything about who she used to be, or even about who she is today."

"And what would you know about her?" Reborn just needed to get the Puppeteer to slip up. "You're just a maniac who is so fixated on your first victim that you project your violence onto innocent women!"

"Is that what she's been telling everyone?"

Reborn heard a tinge of anger in the Puppeteer's voice. _Almost there…_ "It's the truth!" goaded Reborn. "You couldn't kill her, so you cope by killing other women. In fact, you're nothing but a child with anger management problems, refusing to come to terms with your weakn—"

"ENOUGH!" roared the Puppeteer. Reborn grinned. In his anger, the Puppeteer forgot to conceal his location. Reborn quickly threw several knives towards the source of the Puppeteer's voice and was rewarded by a sharp cry and the sound of someone falling to the ground. He walked over with his gun in front of him.

"Letting your fury lead you into making a mistake?" said Reborn as he slowly approached the large boiler. The Puppeteer was just around the corner. "I guess you aren't as brilliant as you thought."

The Puppeteer laughed, though it was clear that his breathing was labored. "I could say the same about you," he replied. "You're the one with an unhealthy obsession with me. Should I be flattered?"

"You murdered someone who was very dear to me," growled Reborn.

"I killed many loved ones!" exclaimed the Puppeteer. "You're going to have to be a little more specific."

"Luce!" barked Reborn. He was so close now. "You murdered her in Paris three years ago after we interfered with your latest abduction."

"Ah, so you're the poor sap who was with her," said the Puppeteer snidely. "I remember that day, especially how I squeezed the trigger, how the bullet went right into her like a knife cutting through butter, how the blood stained her dress like roses on—"

"Shut up!" Reborn rounded the corner and fired off several rounds…but there was no one there.

"I'm done playing games."

Suddenly, Reborn couldn't move, a sharp pain resounding through his head. An invisible force pried his hand open, letting his gun fall to the floor. He felt someone's breath on his neck.

"You're a fool," said the Puppeteer as he walked around Reborn. "No wonder you couldn't protect Luce."

Reborn gained enough willpower to swing at the Puppeteer, landing a solid hit to the Puppeteer's jaw and ripping off the Puppeteer's eyepatch. The Puppeteer fell back, clutching his mouth, but the glimmer of amusement in his eyes never faded.

"I take back my words," said the Puppeteer, spitting out blood. "You're a fighter. I respect that, so I'll tell you more about your precious Luce."

Reborn fell to his knees, shaking uncontrollably as he tried to resist the icy feeling slowly moving through his body. He looked at the Puppeteer, watching in horror as the Puppeteer pulled Reborn's knives out of his body, the wounds closing up quickly.

"I was right, these knives are sharp," said the Puppeteer mockingly, watching his own blood drip off the knife in his hand. "I assume you read about my healing factor, but those files are outdated. My power has only grown in the last few years."

The Puppeteer sneered and bent down next to Reborn. "I bet you believe the death of Luce was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," he hissed. "I'm afraid you're wrong."

"Wh-what?" muttered Reborn through the haze of pain dominating his head. He could barely listen to the Puppeteer anymore.

"I wasn't in Paris to kidnap someone," said the Puppeteer.

"I was there to kill her."

The Puppeteer straightened up, laughing. "Yes, I always intended to kill her!" he exclaimed, delighting in Reborn's shocked expression. "You see, the same way I took Luce from you, Luce took something very dear to me. She took away my _whole world_!"

"That's a lie!" spat Reborn. "Luce had no involvement with you! We were never assigned a mission regarding you!"

"That's what you think!" snarled the Puppeteer. "But you know nothing about what your partner did before she joined you."

Reborn was barely clinging on to consciousness now, his sweat dripping onto the floor. The Puppeteer knelt down again, and he lifted up Reborn's chin, staring into his black eyes. Reborn felt a chill go down his back when he saw the unrestrained malice dancing in the Puppeteer's eyes.

"If you want to know the whole truth," whispered the Puppeteer before Reborn was overwhelmed with fighting the pain.

"Find the Black Lorelei."

* * *

 _This is getting redundant,_ thought Tsunade, exasperated. She could read her students' moves as easily as if she were reading a picture book. Sakura would swing at her, usually aiming at one of her limbs. Then, Hiroshi would throw his Flame-infused knives at her neck while trying to hit her with his brass knuckles. These two moves were meant to get Tsunade entangled in Sakamoto's threads, which were spread all throughout the room.

 _They're even more predictable than usual._ Tsunade slipped between two of Sakamoto's threads, allowing Sakura's blade to hit the thread instead of her face. _Then again, maybe they're trying to make their movements dull._ The Puppeteer could control their every move, but it was obvious that he was only giving basic instructions here. Her students didn't want to kill her, even if they could, so their movements showed little effort. This was the limitation to the Puppeteer's power: he could control their movements but not their heart.

 _Even so, they're getting tired,_ thought Tsunade, sidestepping Hiroshi's knives. She had an enormous amount of stamina, but her students were beginning to have trouble catching their breath. With the Puppeteer controlling them, they would be fighting her even after they died. At this rate, they would soon cause irreversible damage to their bodies.

Their careers as hitmen would end right here.

Tsunade's heart clenched. She couldn't do that to her students. However, there was no way to break the Puppeteer's control over her students unless she blew them up, and there was no way in hell she would do that.

 _There's one other way,_ whispered a voice in her head. _The way the Puppeteer wants you to approach this situation._

Tsunade gritted her teeth. She knew she was walking into the Puppeteer's trap, but she had to save her students. Taking a leap back, she moved out of her students' ranges, buying herself just enough time to draw on her Flames.

"Freeze!" she yelled forcibly, stopping her students in their tracks. Tsunade could feel her Flames wrestling with the Puppeteer's power for control. "Sakamoto, retract your thread! Sakura and Hiroshi, drop your weapons!"

It took a few seconds, but Tsunade pushed the Puppeteer into the very back of her students' minds. Her three students did as she said, and they blinked, their eyes clear.

"T-Tsunade?" stammered Sakamoto. "What's happening to us?"

Tsunade was about to reply when her three students cried out again. She cursed under her breath and focused on keeping the Puppeteer back.

"You three will listen to me and only me," she said, sweat beading on her brow. "You will not move unless I say so."

Tsunade felt the Puppeteer retreat completely, which made sense. Her power trumped his, and now that she had established her authority, nothing he could do could make them move. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

"You three will forget everything that happened here from the moment that Reborn walked in the room to now," she continued. "When you wake up, all you'll remember is the mission."

With that, she began humming the same lullaby that she sang to Sakamoto the day they first met. Within seconds, they were asleep.

"I'm sorry," whispered Tsunade. She spun around and ran out the door, heading for the roof. Halfway up the stairs, she felt a strong burst of shock from Reborn. Tsunade ran quicker, desperately hoping that he was ok.

When she burst onto the roof, Tsunade immediately locked onto Reborn, who was on the floor, clutching his head in pain.

"Ren!" Tsunade ran to his side. When she reached out to him, he lashed out and hit her. _The Puppeteer is trying to take control, she_ realized. Tsunade tried talking to him again, using her Flames in her voice.

"Ren, just listen to me…" she said soothingly. However, she felt herself get violently shut out of Reborn's mind, making her flinch.

"You're not going to get through to him."

Tsunade took a deep breath, and then she slowly turned around. The Puppeteer stared back at her with a smirk. He looked the same as he looked in her nightmares. Slim but limber build. Silvery white hair. Sharp facial features. Cat-like ice blue left eye. Blood red right eye.

"He's fighting off my control, but he can't distinguish between me and you," said the Puppeteer. "Your precious fake husband will just have to suffer until he gives in."

Tsunade snapped out of her shock and took out her baton, quickly turning it into a blade. She flew at the Puppeteer, who met her attacks with an amused expression on his face.

"I missed you too," he said jokingly.

"Shut up!" growled Tsunade. The Puppeteer sidestepped most of her attacks, but Tsunade managed to leave a deep gash in his arm.

"That's quite a lovely weapon you got there," said the Puppeteer when the wound didn't immediately close up. "Did our mutual friend, Verde, make that? I always knew he had a thing for you. I should've killed him when I had the chance."

"I told you to shut up!" snapped Tsunade, throwing her knives in a fan-like pattern. Several of them hit their mark, though the wounds quickly closed up after the Puppeteer pulled them out of his body.

"I'll take that as a yes." The Puppeteer dropped the knives to the floor. "Verde did always love messing around with his toys. We would know, wouldn't we, Tsunade? After all, we were his favorite toys."

"The experiment was a mistake!" spat Tsunade. She aimed a roundhouse kick at the Puppeteer's head, but he retaliated and hit the side of her chest.

"Was it a mistake?" shouted the Puppeteer as Tsunade stumbled back. "Do you really think Verde would've done something like this on accident? We are the strongest beings this world has ever seen! At least, if you weren't limiting yourself. I felt how weak you were when you wrested control from me, and I was barely even trying."

Tsunade's blood boiled. "Don't lump me in with you!" She swung her blade at him with incredible speed, nicking his face several times before the Puppeteer hastily withdrew. "You're a monster!"

"What are you then?" asked the Puppeteer as he dodged her latest flurry of knives. "You can't deny who you used to be."

Tsunade ignored him and threw a few small explosives at the Puppeteer's feet, forcing him to roll to the side. She hit him between the ribs with three knives and took advantage of his momentary pause to tackle the Puppeteer to the ground. She pinned him to the ground with her baton-knife at the Puppeteer's neck. She was just about to slit his throat when a pained shout from Reborn caught her attention.

He was at the edge of the roof.

Tsunade's blood ran cold. It was clear from the sheen of sweat on Reborn's skin that he was still fighting, but the Puppeteer had managed to inch Reborn closer and closer to the edge as Tsunade's attention was preoccupied with the battle.

"Did you know that decapitated victims are conscious for up to four seconds after their head comes off?" said the Puppeteer with a wild grin. "That's more than enough time for me to send him off the roof. Even if you cut my throat, my dying thought will be for _Ren_ over there to take one last step. Maybe you'll get to him in time, but can you take that risk? If anything happens to him, the Vongola will be held accountable. You know that because the contract that you're bound by states that it must be he who kills me. If you did the deed at the cost of his life, the Giglio Nero will always resent the Vongola, no matter how your idiot brother tries to spin it."

Time seemed to stand still. Tsunade mind raced to come up with a solution, but she was coming up blank.

The Puppeteer laughed. "You were always the Vongola's dog," he spat. "But since we are at an impasse, let's talk more. Though I have to say, I like this new position."

Tsunade stiffened when she felt the Puppeteer's hand slip under her dress shirt. She pressed the knife into his skin harder, drawing droplets of blood, but she stopped when she saw Reborn move the slightest bit forward.

"Naughty," chided the Puppeteer. He brushed over one of her many scars. "My word, someone did quite a number on you."

"It was you!" snarled Tsunade, knowing that he was only pretending to be clueless. "You're the one who kidnapped my and tortured me until my only wish was for you to put me out of my misery! You're the one who cut my skin, making sure that the scars would never heal by reopening the wounds every single day! You're the one who haunts me day and night by killing those innocent girls and leaving them for me to find!"

"I know," said the Puppeteer smugly. "I made sure that you would reminded of me every time you look at yourself in the mirror. You may have convinced everyone else that those girls are my surrogates for you since I can't kill you, but you and I know that I kill them because they _aren't_ you! The first girl was an Olympic sprinter, but she still couldn't run as fast as you. The second girl was a world-renowned marksman, but she still couldn't shoot as accurately as you."

"What do you want from me?!" yelled Tsunade. Her skin crawled with the Puppeteer's every touch. _God, I want to cut his hands off!_

"You know what I want," replied the Puppeteer with a smirk. "Give me my Black Lorelei back."

"The Black Lorelei is dead!" spat Tsunade. "Luce and I made sure of that."

The Puppeteer raised his hand up and caressed Tsunade's cheek. "Luce is gone now," he said. And you, Tsunade my dear, you are my perfect puppet. You will do exactly as I say."

Tsunade jerked her head away. "Like hell I will!" she snapped. "I will never fall for your tricks ever again!"

"But you can't help yourself!" said the Puppeteer still grinning at her. "You may have convinced the idiots you surround yourself with that you put the past behind you, but I know that the Black Lorelei lives. Take your fake husband, for example. He doesn't even know the truth about Luce's death! How long are you going to keep up the charade? When will you finally remember that you belong to me?"

"You destroyed me!"

The Puppeteer suddenly pulled Tsunade's face closer to his own. Tsunade was frozen, not by the Puppeteer's power, but by the crippling fear that invaded her body when she looked into the Puppeteer's eyes.

"Destroyed?" he hissed, his breath warm on Tsunade's skin. "No, I _created_ you! I could take you by force right now, but I know that you'll come to me soon. When you do, I'll make you take apart the Vongola famiglia you love so much brick by brick. You'll be the one that puts an end to your reason for living. You can't escape me, Tsunade. You can't stop thinking of me anywhere you go because I am your world. You can't live your life without remembering me like the taste of blood in your mouth. You are _mine_ , and when I finally am done with you, I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible."

The Puppeteer pushed Tsunade off of him. Tsunade stumbled back, breathing heavily. She saw the Puppeteer flick his wrist, and Reborn lost his balance.

"No!" shouted Tsunade. She dashed over to Reborn and grabbed his hand just before he fell. As she struggled to pull Reborn back up, Tsunade heard the sound of a helicopter approaching. The Puppeteer grabbed the rope ladder and signaled for the helicopter to ascend again. As the helicopter flew by Tsunade, the Puppeteer threw a black rose with a few chilling last words.

"Stop pretending like you're Alice when you're really the Queen of Hearts."

Tsunade gritted her teeth. With a last burst of strength, she managed to pull Reborn back onto the roof. She quickly checked his pulse and was relieved that he wasn't dead, though the mental strain of fighting the Puppeteer's control had rendered Reborn unconscious. Breathing heavily, Tsunade quickly took out her phone and called her brother.

"Hello?"

"We ran into the Puppeteer," said Tsunade quickly.

"What?!" shouted Tsuna in disbelief. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but my students and Reborn are all unconscious. I need medics to my location now!"

"Wait, Reborn is down?!"

"Yes, Reborn is down!" snapped Tsunade. "Hurry!" She hung up and threw her phone in frustration. The Puppeteer's words resounded in her head as she picked up the black rose that he left behind.

 _Give me my Black Lorelei back._

Tsunade clenched her fists, ignoring the sharp pain as the rose's thorns dug into her skin. _I'm still so weak,_ she thought bitterly.

Droplets of Tsunade's blood hit the concrete.

* * *

 _Reborn was drowning in a sea of darkness. Unknown figures were grabbing him and dragging him down even as Reborn tried to claw his way up to the one beacon of light that he could see. His ears were filled with the sounds of screaming and sobbing. It was impossible for him to focus. He was slowly going insane._

 _Suddenly, a bright glow appeared. Reborn looked up and saw Luce, reaching down to him._

 _"It's been a while, Ren," she said with a sad smile._

 _Reborn took her hand, feeling the darkness slowly fade away. "Luce," he said softly. He wrapped his arms around her. "Luce, I've missed you so much!"_

 _"I've missed you too, but this isn't where you belong," said Luce, gently withdrawing herself from Reborn's embrace. "I only came here to help you out."_

 _Luce led Reborn to the small beacon of light, but Reborn kept staring at her. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I couldn't save you. I can't even get revenge on your murderer for you!"_

 _Luce smiled at Reborn. "I never asked you to get revenge for me," she said soothingly. "Fate works in strange ways." She placed Reborn's hand on the light. "Besides," she said, her voice growing faint. "There is someone by your side who has already given her everything for you. Someone whom you care about more than you know."_

* * *

Reborn's eyes snapped open. He slowly sat up, trying to cope with the throbbing pain in his head. Looking around at the white walls and cabinets of medical equipment, he realized that he was in a private hospital room.

 _The Puppeteer tried to get in my head,_ remembered Reborn, his memories flooding back. _But I don't remember anything after that._ He heard someone quietly snore, and he looked over to see that Tsunade was sitting in an arm chair next to him, her head buried in her arms on top of his bed. Reborn couldn't help but smile at Tsunade's sleeping form, watching her chest slowly rise and fall.

 _How long has she been here?_ he wondered. _How long have_ I _been here?_ Reborn watched Tsunade and noticed that her brow was furrowed again as she muttered fitfully under her breath. _She's having another nightmare,_ he thought. Without thinking, he reached out to her and stroked her hair, trying to sooth her. The deep set frown slowly faded, and Tsunade stirred.

"Ren?" she said softly with a small sleepy smile. Reborn's heart skipped a beat. Then, Tsunade's eyes widened. "Ren!" she said, standing abruptly. "You're awake! I'll go get Yuni—"

Reborn grabbed Tsunade's arm before she could leave the room. "Wait," he said. The two of them froze, both unsure what Reborn was doing. "Don't tell her just yet," said Reborn quickly. "Just…stay here a little bit longer."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Tsunade nodded and slowly sat back down. "How are you feeling?" she asked, concerned.

"My head is trying to murder me, but otherwise alright," replied Reborn. "How long was I out?"

"About 18 hours," said Tsunade.

"18 hours?" said Reborn, stunned. "And you stayed here the entire time?"

"Of course," said Tsunade, stretching her arms. "It's what a wife would be expected to do, right?"

"Ah yes." _It's an act,_ Reborn thought to himself, though he wasn't sure why his heart sank slightly. "What happened after I blacked out?"

Tsunade blew out a frustrated breath. "I fought the Puppeteer, but he got away," she said irritably. "He made me choose between killing him and saving you."

"And why didn't you kill him?" asked Reborn. He knew that Tsunade hated the Puppeteer almost as much as he did. He was willing to sacrifice her for his revenge, so why would she think twice about sacrificing his life?

"Because that's your job," snapped Tsunade. "Our contract states that very clearly."

Reborn stared at her, and then he chuckled. _Her loyalty to the Vongola is absolute._ "If you say so, dame-Tsunade," he said, amused.

"Don't call me that!"

"With your hair in such a mess, you even look like your No Good brother."

"Hey!"

Reborn was going to continue teasing her, but then he noticed her hand was bandaged. "What happened to you?" he asked, reaching for her hand. "Don't tell me you actually let one of your students hit you."

"Of course not!" said Tsunade hotly. "I…injured myself while fighting the Puppeteer. It's not a deep cut."

Reborn gingerly touched her hand, carefully inspecting it. He heard the hesitation in her words. _Is she hiding something from me?_ he wondered. Tsunade seemed to be hiding many skeletons in the closet.

 _There is someone by your side who has already given her everything for you._

Reborn thought about Luce's words. _Just how much have you sacrificed for me?_ he wondered as he held Tsunade's hand. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. Reborn saw Tsunade abruptly turn away, hiding her facial expression from him. He felt his heart beat a little quicker.

"Tsunade?"

Tsunade and Reborn turned to the doorway, where Verde was standing with a cup of coffee.

"Ah, I'm glad to see that you're awake, Reborn," said Verde insincerely. "I was just stopping by to offer Tsunade some coffee."

Tsunade withdrew her hand from Reborn's grasp and accepted the cup gratefully. "Thank you, Verde," she said with a small smile that made Reborn's eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

"I'll go get Yuni," said Verde.

"Wait," said Tsunade, getting up. "I'll go too. I need to discuss a few things with her."

Reborn watched as his wife walked off with the one guy that made his blood boil. If his head wasn't hurting so badly, Reborn probably would've socked Verde in the face. He wasn't sure what he was feeling.

 _It's the mental trauma,_ thought Reborn. _It's messing with my emotions._ However, Reborn found himself missing the feeling of Tsunade's touch.

 _Someone whom you care about more than you know._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks to _Ducki9_ _,_ _Nekohana_ _,_ and _Guest_ for reviewing! Please read and let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm so sorry. I know it's been a long time since the last update. I blame it on my brother getting me Fire Emblem Fates since I literlly spent hours playing the game daily. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

"Watch it, kora!" snapped Colonnello as he ducked to avoid the binder Reborn threw at him.

"I wouldn't be throwing things at you if you would just be helpful for a change," said Reborn flatly.

It's been a few days since the Puppeteer attacked Reborn, Tsunade, and Tsunade's students. After Shamal gave Reborn a clean bill of health, Reborn immediately began researching the Black Lorelei. However, he could find nothing about the elusive Black Lorelei in the Vongola Grand Alliance database, meaning that if the Black Lorelei did exist, he or she was never directly involved with any of the famiglias. However, this was the mafia world, where very few things had a "direct" correlation. Once he exhausted the sources available to him, Reborn began digging elsewhere. He decided to look into CEDEF's files, since the Vongola's external advisors tended to dabble in data collection more than the famiglia did, but Iemitsu became uncharacteristically tight-lipped when Reborn asked. Unable to gain access to the files, Reborn had to find someone who could still get into CEDEF's database.

And that person just had to be Colonnello.

"I didn't ask to be here, kora," muttered Colonnello, lighting yet another cigarette. "You're lucky that Iemitsu never took me outta the system after I moved to the Giglio Nero famiglia. The old man was spouting something about loyalty and old bonds and what not. I mean, it's not like I actually listened to his little spiel or anything! Lal Mirch just reiterated everything to me afterwards. I mean, I am indebted to him for fighting for me to lift the curse, but I did tell him to fight for Lal Mirch…"

"Sure," said Reborn with a smirk. He knew that Colonnello occasionally missed working with CEDEF because Reborn himself found himself thinking the same way about the Vongola. It was a good thing the Giglio Nero famiglia was closely allied with the Vongola. If Reborn ever had to choose between the Giglio Nero and the Vongola…

"Kora!" barked Colonnello, pulling Reborn out of his thoughts. "What did you say you were looking for again?"

Reborn let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm looking for files relating to the Black Lorelei," he said slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child. "So far, the files we have pulled have been redacted to oblivion, so we're looking in other remotely related files for any mention of the Black Lorelei."

Colonnello glared at him. "Don't speak to me like I'm Skull!" He then threw a small black notebook at Reborn. "Take a look at this."

Reborn caught the book and opened it. His heart nearly stopped. "This…this is…"

"It's Luce's handwriting, I know," said Colonnello, chewing on the end of his cigarette thoughtfully. "I found it in the very back of the archives relating to the Black Lorelei."

Reborn's hands were trembling. Parts of the notebook were also redacted, but compared to the other files, the journal yielded much more information. _If this is here, then what the Puppeteer said was true,_ he thought. _Luce was involved with the Black Lorelei, but what does this have to do with the Puppeteer?_

Reborn took a look at the first few pages.

 _Jan. 4_

 _I was brought in just as I foresaw I would be. However, the horrors of this case are much more terrifying in reality than they were in my visions. The Black Lorelei is currently in a coma, but doctors predict that she'll soon wake up. I've read all the case files on the Black Lorelei, but I'm afraid this trauma may have rendered all this past information obsolete. They brought me in because of the Giglio Nero's reputation for helping recuperate trauma victims, but I'm afraid this may be one of the hardest cases that I have ever received._

 _Jan. 7_

 _The Black Lorelei woke today, but there was no information I could extract from her. She simply sat in bed, staring at the ceiling. Any attempt to speak with her has proven to be futile. The Black Lorelei looks like a…limp puppet. She's been controlled for so long that now that the strings are cut, she doesn't know what to do._

 _Jan. 9_

 _She's speaking now, but it's mostly unintelligible mumbling. The Black Lorelei is still being fed via IV because she refuses to eat or drink anything, muttering that "he" hasn't let her yet. It appalls me to see that the Puppeteer has brainwashed her to this point. She really is his perfect puppet._

 _Perfect puppet?_ thought Reborn. _I feel like I've heard that phrase before, but I can't quite remember where I heard it._ He flipped through the next few pages, dismayed to see that most of the words had been blacked out. _At least I know that the Puppeteer wasn't lying, and that his motive to kill Luce had something to do with the Black Lorelei._

"Ah, I got it!" said Colonnello, snapping his fingers. "I knew I heard the name 'Black Lorelei' from somewhere before."

"And where would that be?" asked Reborn.

"Once, I was going to ask Lal out on a date after a mission she had," said Colonnello, stubbing his cigarette on the table. "When I arrived, she was talking to Iemitsu in hushed tones. I couldn't hear much before Lal saw me and tried to blow my brains out, but I did hear them say that they were concerned that the Black Lorelei could be weaponized against CEDEF."

Reborn raised an eyebrow, curious. "Did you ever hear anything about the Black Lorelei after that?"

Colonnello shrugged. "Not that I can recall. She must've not been that big of a threat, or else I would've been sent with Basil and Lal Mirch to take her down." He jerked his head towards the door. "C'mon kora. We gotta get out of here before Lal realizes I ditched her and fries my ass."

Reborn chuckled and nodded. "You do know that it's stunts like this that makes Lal break off your engagement to her?" he said as they left the archive room. "If you had told me that you were on a mission with Lal when I called you, I would've been fine with meeting you tomorrow."

"I suppose you're right, kora," muttered Colonnello, embarrassed. "Lal says she's used to my impulsive behavior, but I always do something that pushes her over the edge. We're never gonna get married at this rate."

"And yet you still propose to her every other week," said Reborn with a smirk.

"Of course I do!" snapped Colonnello. "I'm head over heels in love with her, kora! I've been chasing after her since I trained under her, and I'm not giving up until she walks down the aisle to me in a white dress, dammit."

"Have you ever considered the possibility that if you keep driving Lal crazy like this, then she'll one day find someone else?" asked Reborn. He saw Colonnello grimace.

"The thought has passed through my mind a few times," admitted Colonnello. "I'll just have to cling to the hope that she's at least a bit as crazy for me as I am obsessed about her."

"Why do it then?" said Reborn. The two of them turned the corner and headed down the stairs.

"Why do what?" asked Colonnello as he lit another cigarette.

"Why chase after her when it's most likely going to end in heartbreak?" continued Reborn. "Even if you do marry her, with all the hazards that comes with the job, it's very likely that one of you two will end up burying the other."

Reborn expected Colonnello to lash out, but he remained surprisingly calm.

"Ah, but a few years of love and heartbreak with Lal is worth more to me than a lifetime without her," said Colonnello, taking a long draw on his cigarette.

Reborn stared at Colonnello in surprise for a few seconds, and then he laughed. "I'm filing that under 'things to say at your wedding'," he said jokingly.

Colonnello rapidly turned bright red as he realized what he just said. "Don't you dare, kora!" he yelled, making everyone around him, except Reborn, jump in surprise. "Why do you even think that you'll be invited to my wedding anyway?"

"I've been receiving invitations from Lal for the last few years," replied Reborn, smirking. "I don't think she's going to stop just because I'll embarrass you. Hell, I think she'll even make my wife the maid of honor just to guarantee that I'll show up to embarrass you."

"Your wife?" repeated Colonnello. "You mean, Yoki?"

"Yeah," said Reborn, not noticing Colonnello's stare. "It's not so far-fetched. Tsunade was her best student, though I suppose she would have to compete with Keiko for the spot."

"I don't doubt that Yoki might become Lal's maid of honor," said Colonnello. "I was wondering what makes you think that you and Yoki will still be together at that point. By then, the Puppeteer should've been dealt with, especially since it's you two on the case."

Reborn abruptly stopped walking as the realization sank in. _Colonnello is right,_ he thought. _We probably won't be married then._ They've only been married for four months, but it felt much longer than that since they spent so much time together. He looked forward to sparring with her and exchanging good-natured jibes. This marriage was supposed to be all about revenge, but Reborn was surprised that he found a friend instead.

Though he had entered this relationship with indifference, Reborn was now inadvertently planning a future with Tsunade.

"Kora, what's going on in that mind of yours?" asked Colonnello mischievously. "Are you starting to acknowledge Yoki as your actual wife?"

"Shut it, Colonnello," growled Reborn as they began walking again.

"Where is Yoki anyway?" asked Colonnello. "Is she at Vongola HQ?"

"No, she's here in the CEDEF training rooms," replied Reborn. "Tsuna was coming here to meet with Iemitsu and needed an escort, so he asked Tsunade if she wanted to take her students to tour CEDEF and meet Iemitsu."

"Ah, so that's where we're heading," said Colonnello, looking at the large stainless steel doors that stood in front of them. They pushed open the doors and looked for Tsunade and her students.

"Say, kora," teased Colonnello as they looked through the glass windows one by one. "Tell me something. Should I expect any little Reborns running around soon?"

Reborn glared at Colonnello, refusing to justify his question with an answer. He knew that the blonde idiot was just trying to get back at him for the comments Reborn made about his and Lal's relationship.

"I'm just saying," continued Colonnello. "If you're starting to warm up to Yoki, and knowing what a womanizer you were in the past—"

"Found them," said Reborn, cutting off Colonnello. "Oh, and look who's with them: Lal Mirch."

Colonnello paled and made a beeline for the window, pressing his hands against the glass. "Dammit," he whispered, looking at the stern expression on Lal Mirch's face as she lectured Tsunade's students. "Oh God she's going to murder me."

Reborn laughed at the look of panic on Colonnello's face. _Serves him right,_ thought Reborn evilly. The two of them decided to observe the lesson a bit longer. Lal Mirch finished her speech and pressed a button on a remote. The room became crisscrossed with red motion-sensing lasers, separating Lal Mirch and Tsunade's students from Tsunade.

"Looks like Yoki is putting on a demonstration," muttered Colonnello.

Tsunade took a brief moment to scrutinize the positions of the lasers. Then, she launched herself forward into a series of flips to avoid the first few lasers. She bent backwards to avoid a moving laser, and then she slipped under the low lying lasers like a snake. Tsunade continued to weave through the lasers by bending her body in nearly impossible positions until she made it to the other side in under a minute. Tsunade's students were staring, awestruck, but they weren't the only ones.

"Damn," said Colonnello in awe. "I knew Yoki was skilled, but this is a whole 'nother level."

Reborn nodded in agreement. Tsunade was an excellent hitman, but it was possible that she was even better at espionage. He had been so impressed with her fighting prowess that he hadn't considered her ability in other fields.

She truly was amazing.

"And look at how flexible she is!" exclaimed Colonnello. "If she's that flexible, then I don't know why you haven't gone ahead and—"

Reborn ripped the cigarette out of Colonnello's mouth and put it down Colonnello's shirt. As Colonnello cursed and rolled frantically on the ground to put the fire out, Reborn continued watching through the window, covering his lower face to hide the unusual blush creeping into his cheeks.

* * *

"The key is to keep moving," said Tsunade as her students looked at her in awe. "Scan the scene as you move to create a moving picture because a stationary screenshot isn't going to cut it."

Her students nodded, hanging on to her every word. Lal Mirch laughed and slapped Tsunade on the back. "You really shocked them speechless," she said, amused. "I don't recall you or Keiko ever staring at me like that."

"We did, but you wiped the awestruck look on our faces off our faces with that scowl of yours," joked Tsunade. "Besides, you may have stunned me with amazing displays of power, but espionage was always my hobby." _And your job,_ added a little voice in her head that she pushed away.

The training room door opened, catching Lal Mirch's and Tsunade's attentions. Reborn walked in, dragging in an angry blond behind him, and nodded a curt greeting to Lal Mirch.

"Chaos," he said, throwing Colonnello in front of him. "I heard you were looking for this guy, Lal."

Lal Mirch's face immediately darkened. "You bastard!" she growled, walking towards Colonnello menacingly. "How dare you leave me to do the paperwork and final mission report on my own?!"

Colonnello shrunk under Lal Mirch's glare. "You seemed like you had it under control," he squeaked. "And Reborn asked me for help—"

"Don't drag me into this," said Reborn sharply. "I didn't know you were working with Lal Mirch."

"You know I hate paperwork as much as you do, and you still abandoned me!" shouted Lal Mirch. She grabbed Colonnello by the collar and began dragging him behind her. "We're going to have a nice long chat in the other room."

Tsunade smiled slightly at the sight of sight of Colonnello's panicked expression. "That's Lal Mirch's fiancé," she explained to her bewildered students.

" _Ex-_ fiancé!" snapped Lal Mirch. Colonnello groaned and buried his face in his hands.

Lal Mirch flung open the training room door and gave a curt nod to Tsunade's students. "It was very nice to meet my former student's students," she said as she threw Colonnello out. "I hope you all learned something of use today. It was great catching up with you, Tsunade."

"Are they going to be ok?" whispered Sakamoto after the door slammed behind Lal Mirch.

"Yeah, they break off their engagement about every other week," replied Tsunade, amused. "Trust me, there's no couple as in love as those two are, but there's also no couple with larger egos than those two either."

"I beg to differ," said Reborn, raising an eyebrow. Tsunade looked at him, surprised.

"If we're talking egos, I think we've got them beat," he said, walking over to Tsunade's side.

"Yeah, I suppose Colonnello's big head is no match for yours," replied Tsunade, pretending not to notice that Reborn subtly referred to them as a couple.

"I was talking about you," Reborn shot back. "Remember when we were throwing playing cards?"

Tsunade bristled. She happened to be very proud of her skills in a casino setting, and she didn't take kindly to those that criticized her technique. "The way I throw playing cards is effective enough!" she snapped. "I can cut through an apple with one!"

"I'm just saying that it would be better if you held the card between your index finger and your thumb," said Reborn, crossing his arms. "It's stronger that way."

"It's stronger at the expense of how far the card can travel!" shouted Tsunade.

"I'm sure you mean to teach this skill to your students, and I believe they want to learn the very best," said Reborn pointedly.

"What, are you criticizing my teaching skills now?" growled Tsunade. _What the hell is he trying to get at?_ Though Reborn usually gave suggestions to her, he was being unusually harsh today. She scrutinized his aura and found that he was trying to hide some other emotion behind his judgmental behavior. _What's he hiding, and why is he taking it out on me?_

"This is just something that you learn from experience," said Reborn. "And I have much more of that."

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree," said Tsunade angrily.

"Or we can settle this in a spar," said Reborn, pulling out his Leon gun.

 _Is this what he was trying to get at the entire time?_ thought Tsunade, irritated. _He could've just waited until we got home. Ren must really need a distraction._ She knew he was goading her, but she wasn't about to back off in front of her student.

"Fine," said Tsunade, gritting her teeth. "If you win, then you can go ahead and teach them!"

Reborn chuckled and stepped away from her. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

Tsunade, her blood boiling, stomped to the other side of the training room. "Stay out of the way, and observe carefully!" she ordered her students as she passed them. "It's very unlikely that you'll observe a similar spar in the near future."

Her students quickly moved to the side, whispering something along the lines of "marriage seems terrifying", and took a seat. Tsunade cracked her neck and took out her own gun. She didn't know why Reborn wanted to clear his mind and fight, but if it was a spar he wanted, then she would give him a run for his money.

Hiroshi took a quick glance at the murderous couple, sighed deeply, and shouted, "Begin!"

Tsunade charged straight at Reborn, flinging several knives in front of her before sliding on the ground. Reborn jumped up to avoid the knives, but Tsunade lashed out and grabbed his ankle, pulling him down. Recovering quickly, Reborn shook Tsunade off and nearly brought his heel down on her face, a move that Tsunade blocked with her baton before jumping out of range. Tsunade winced when a knife just barely nicked her cheek, but she quickly repaid the favor by landing a solid blow on his shoulder.

The two of them jumped apart for a fraction of a second. Then, Reborn sent a wave of Sun Flames towards Tsunade. She quickly dispersed them and bent backwards to avoid Reborn's fist. Tsunade spun around and drove her elbow into Reborn's ribs, but he hastily moved back and hooked his foot around her shin. The sudden movement caused Tsunade to lose her balance and topple forward, but not before her hand instinctively shot forward and latched onto the closest thing to her.

Reborn.

His eyes widened a fraction in surprise as he fell forward with her, or to be more accurate, fell _onto_ her. They hit the ground with a thud, but Tsunade barely registered the pain, more focused on how close his face was to hers. She was acutely aware of the feeling of his body pressed against hers, and a blush quickly creeped into her cheeks. Her fingers were still tangled in his shirt, but Tsunade was frozen in place as her golden eyes stared into Reborn's obsidian orbs. Without realizing it, Tsunade was taking in all the details of his face, from his pointed nose to his curly sideburns to his thin lips. She could feel her heart pounding, and she was surprised to feel his heart beating furiously as well. However, looking at him, Tsunade felt a tinge of disappointment when she saw his eyes were as guarded as ever.

 _It's just the adrenaline,_ she thought, pulling herself back to reality. Tsunade took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"Reborn, would you mind getting off of me please?" she said as calmly as she could.

Reborn seemed to come to his senses and quickly got up. He offered to help Tsunade to her feet, but she brushed him off, unable to shake the tingling sensation that ran throughout her body. She suddenly didn't want to be in the same room as Reborn.

"I guess that counts as your win," she said loudly, trying to cover up her embarrassment. "Which means that my students will have another guest teacher today."

Her students looked at each other uncertainly, and Tsunade felt a little twinge of guilt for leaving them with the world's most sadistic tutor. However, the pain in her chest was nearly unbearable, and she needed to get out of the room _now._

"I was just joking, Tsunade," said Reborn, reaching out to her. "You don't—"

"It's fine!" said Tsunade stiffly. "I had something urgent to discuss with Tsuna-nii anyway. I leave them in your care."

She spun on her heel and quickly left the room. Tsunade left the training room area and began walking towards Iemitsu's office, cursing inwardly the entire way.

 _What the hell is wrong with you?_ she scolded herself. _You've sparred with him many times in the past. You've been in close proximity with him before. Why are you acting this way now?_

Even as she asked herself that question, she already knew the answer. Ever since the encounter with the Puppeteer, something had changed between the two of them. Tsunade felt uneasy around him, wondering how much the Puppeteer had revealed to him, and how much closer he was to finding the truth. At the same time, she remembered how worried she felt as she sat at his bedside. When he finally woke up, she was about to cry with relief. When he held her hand, she felt like her heart was about to burst. Tsunade was able to conceal these emotions, but she knew that she was treading a thin line.

"It's an act," she muttered to herself furiously. "I've always been good at pretending I'm someone else, so I can definitely follow this through to the end." Reborn was a _friend_. She knew that. In fact, she was lucky that they were even able to get along. Tsunade knew that she was his bait, but at least he respected her. He was one of the few people who didn't look at her with scorn, and she needed more people like that in her life. However, if he got too close, then he would be horrified by what he saw. Tsunade was deathly terrified of Reborn knowing the truth.

 _What do you think about a world with just the two of us, Tsunade?_

Tsunade gasped as pain shot through her head. The memories had been coming more frequently now after the Puppeteer had uncovered dark secrets that she wanted to keep hidden. She desperately wanted say that the Puppeteer's words were absolutely false, but her brief encounter with him caused something in her to stir. She hated the darkness inside of her that was so very attracted to the Puppeteer's promise of power and destruction that only he could give her. She hated the deeply buried memories that reminded her of how _exhilarating_ it was to feel invincible, to be instantly stronger than anyone else that could possibly face her, to be _controlled_ …

Tsunade froze when she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. The person staring back at her had an eerie grin on her face and bloodthirsty eyes. She vanished as quickly as she appeared, but Tsunade was left feeling cold and shaken. _This_ was the real reason she had to crush her whirlwind of emotions for Reborn. Tsunade may be his bait and ally, but the Black Lorelei was his greatest enemy. Should the Black Lorelei fall back under the Puppeteer's control, there would countless more loved ones who would die an untimely death. Tsunade wanted to believe that Luce truly destroyed the Black Lorelei, but the Puppeteer always had a way of making the impossible possible.

 _That's why I must do everything possible to destroy the Black Lorelei should she appear again,_ thought Tsunade. She arrived at Iemitsu's office and entered, nodding to his secretary as she passed. After knocking on the door, she took a deep breath, steeling herself for her next act.

The door opened, and Tsuna smiled as he let Tsunade in.

"Ah, my little rose!" exclaimed Iemitsu, delighted to see her. "Your brother and I were just finishing up."

"Hello Papa," said Tsunade with a stiff smile. "I have something to present to Tsuna-nii, and I need you to bear witness to this event."

Before Tsuna could ask what she meant, Tsunade threw a black envelope onto the table. After a brief moment of shocked silence, both Tsuna and Iemitsu began shouting.

"Little rose, you can't be serious!" said Iemitsu, alarmed.

"Tsunade, I already told you there was no need for this!" said Tsuna furiously. "No matter how much pressure the elders put on me, I would never make you—"

"I _know_ you would never make me do this!" snapped Tsunade, cutting him off. "That's why I did it myself."

"You're literally signing your own death warrant!" shouted Iemitsu. "Tsunade-chan, you can't do this to us!"

"I'm doing it _for_ us!" Tsunade shot back. "I'm a danger to the famiglia, and to you two. I would never forgive myself if I hurt either one of you."

"I will not accept this," said Tsuna vehemently. "Tsunade, I will not let you throw your life away just because of some off possibility that _she_ might return."

"It is my right as a Vongola mafioso to decide this, and your responsibility as the Vongola Decimo to grant my request!" retorted Tsunade. "You can't understand what it's like to live in fear of the Black Lorelei slaughtering everyone I love! I wake up wondering if I'm still in control of myself! Please, Tsuna-nii! I need assurance that the Black Lorelei won't destroy everything I love."

Silence filled the room once again, and then Tsuna sighed. "Fine," he snapped. Iemitsu glared at him.

"Tsuna—" he started, but Tsuna cut him off.

"She's right, Papa," said Tsuna grudgingly. "As her boss, I must grant her request. If you don't want to be the witness, then I'll find someone else."

Iemitsu gave Tsunade a pleading look. "My little rose, please don't do this to your brother," he said desperately. "Don't make us do this."

"I have to, Papa," she whispered, reaching forward and grabbing his hands. "I have to protect the Vongola." Tsunade stepped back and schooled her features into a neutral expression. She nodded to her brother. Tsuna took a deep breath and steeled himself for Tsunade's sake.

"I, Sawada Tsunayoshi, the Vongola Decimo, agree to take Sawada Tsunade's Black Letter Oath on the first day of the month of October. Sawada Iemitsu will bear witness to this event. Does the witness agree to this task?"

Iemitsu responded clearly even though his eyes gleamed with tears. "I agree."

"The witness has agreed to the task," restated Tsuna. "With my authority, once Sawada Tsunade has given her oath, I will do everything in my power to ensure that the oath is upheld."

Tsunade swallowed nervously. _This is the only way,_ she thought as she faced her brother.

"I, Sawada Tsunade, give the Vongola express permission to execute me on sight should I betray the famiglia. If proof of otherwise is not given by a reputable witness, then my life is forfeit in the eyes of the Vongola.

I, Sawada Tsunade, hereby issue my death warrant."

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 **A/N: Thank you to _Epikku Neko_ , _Ducki9_ , _Guest_ , _Nekohana_ , _Gutter_ , __for reviewing! I always enjoy reading your reviews! Please read and review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N" Eheheh so I actually finished this chapter a while ago and just forgot to post it lol. Sorry for the wait.**

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"Uncle?"

Reborn was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Yuni's voice. "Sorry," he said, shaking his head. "I'm a bit out of it today."

"I didn't know that the great Reborn could even be 'a bit out of it'," joked Yuni. "Don't worry about it. You're almost off duty anyway."

Reborn gave Yuni a small smile. The two of them were in Yuni's personal limousine, heading to Vongola HQ after Yuni's meeting with the Millefiore famiglia. Reborn had gone with Yuni as her bodyguard, but the meeting was very casual since she and Byakuran were close friends.

 _Looking at the two of them joke around like that, one could never guess that Byakuran went crazy and drugged Yuni in an alternate reality, nearly taking over the world,_ thought Reborn.

"Penny for your thoughts?" asked Yuni, staring at Reborn curiously. "It really isn't like you to be absent minded."

Reborn sighed deeply. "I'm just thinking about Luce," he said, propping his chin up on his hand. "My encounter with the Puppeteer revealed a history with Luce that I never even knew about."

"I thought my grandmother's death was an accident," said Yuni with a frown. "You two were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"That's what I thought, but the Puppeteer says that her death was premeditated," replied Reborn. "He said that he killed her because she killed someone close to him, someone named the Black Lorelei."

Reborn noticed that Yuni stiffened when he said "Black Lorelei". "Does the name ring any bells?"

Yuni nodded slowly. "You know…my grandmother was a very compassionate person," she said hesitantly. "She loved people, and she loved life. Being cursed to die young gave her a unique view on how fragile life was."

"Yeah," said Reborn, not sure where this conversation was heading. "Luce cared about everyone, whether friend or foe."

"Well, when she reappeared, she came to me," continued Yuni. "I was ready to step down and let her take over as head of the Giglio Nero famiglia, but she adamantly refused. My grandmother said she only clung onto life for one reason, and instead of explaining why, she showed me a vision of the future instead."

"She could share visions?" asked Reborn. "I never knew that."

"Neither did I," said Yuni with a shrug. "The powers of the Sky Arcobaleno have been diluted over time. My grandmother was always many times more powerful than I am. Anyway, the vision she showed me can only be described as terrifying. In a mere second, I saw a world wracked by death and destruction, piles of dead bodies littering the streets, blood draining into the sewers, and buildings crumbling into dust. Standing amongst the wreckage were two laughing figures: one I now know must be the Puppeteer, and one unknown woman."

"The Black Lorelei," said Reborn grimly.

Yuni nodded. "That's what my grandmother told me. With the coldest look in her eyes that I have ever seen, she said her purpose for returning was to prevent this future from happening.

She needed to kill the Black Lorelei."

Reborn felt his blood run cold. For the kind-hearted Luce to say that, the Black Lorelei must've been a truly terrifying person. "Did she succeed?"

"I'm not sure," admitted Yuni. "She never told me."

Silence filled the limousine. _According to Luce's vision, if the Puppeteer joins up with the Black Lorelei, then all hell will break loose,_ thought Reborn. _I hope Luce did finish off the Black Lorelei, but the way the Puppeteer talked about the Black Lorelei makes me feel uneasy. In any case, I really have to speed up my investigation and finish off the Puppeteer._

"How's Tsunade?" asked Yuni, hoping to break the awkward silence.

"She's doing well for someone who has a psychopath after her," replied Reborn. "Though I suppose that she has been more jumpy since we encountered the Puppeteer."

"Ah, she's always jumpy," said Yuni with a smile. "A lot like her brother in that aspect. I've got to say though, ever since I first met her at Tsuna's confirmation as Vongola Decimo, I've never seen her warm up to anyone as quickly as she warmed up to you."

"Really?" said Reborn, frowning. He thought about how Tsunade flinched away from his touch yesterday, and his heart dropped. "It sure doesn't seem like it."

Yuni laughed. "Trust me, behind her scowls and blunt remarks is a girl who's horrible at expressing her emotions. She's probably glad that she found someone that could at the very least match her skill. You know better than anyone that being such a strong hitman can be kind of…I don't know…"

Reborn finished Yuni's statement for her. "Lonely."

Yuni nodded, and then she sighed. "Tsunade's changing again, and hopefully for the better. After meeting Tsuna, she seemed to brighten up a bit, but any progress that she made was quickly undone by the Puppeteer. Maybe you can't see it just yet, but you're a good influence on her, and maybe she's a good influence on you too. You're _smiling_ , Uncle. I haven't seen you do that in years.

Maybe you two can help each other heal."

The limousine pulled up to the corner near Vongola HQ. Yuni leaned over and gave Reborn a light peck on the cheek. "See you later, Uncle," she chirped. "I'll give you a call if I need your help again."

Reborn smiled slightly and patted Yuni's head. "Anything for you, princess," he said sincerely. He got out of the limo and closed the door, thinking about what Yuni said as he made his way to Vongola Headquarters.

 _Have I been smiling more?_ he wondered. _I never really noticed that. I do look forward to our daily spars though, and I suppose it's nice to have something to look forward to in the morning._ He didn't want to admit it, but it had been a long time since he didn't dread waking up every day to a world without Luce. Tsunade could never fill that absence in his life, but at least she made it a bit more bearable…or maybe even more than bearable.

 _These things are just a byproduct of our unique arrangement,_ Reborn reminded himself, but even his own thoughts didn't entirely convince him.

Reborn entered the HQ building and got in the elevator. Through his relationship with Tsuna and his marriage to Tsunade, Reborn was now considered a partial member of the Vongola famiglia again, which allowed him to move freely throughout headquarters. Once the elevator reached the lowest floor, Reborn stepped out and headed to the third training room, where Tsunade told him she was training her students. The lesson probably ended a few hours ago, but Reborn knew that Tsunade enjoyed spending extra time with her students whenever she could to give them a few additional pointers. However, when he arrived, Tsunade's students were training together without their tutor.

"Re-Reborn-san!" stuttered Hiroshi as Reborn walked in. Tsunade's students abruptly stopped what they were doing and bowed to Reborn rather stiffly.

"Relax," said Reborn, amused. "Where's your tutor?"

"She left a couple hours ago," replied Sakura. "A man with green hair came in after our lesson, extremely worked up, and demanded that Yoki-sensei come with him immediately."

The three students failed to notice Reborn's expression immediately darken.

"Yeah, he was saying something about their experiment finally bearing fruit just in time for some conference, and that they were at a critical turning point," Sakamoto chimed in. "Yoki-sensei immediately left the training room. I think they went to a testing room on the other side of headquarters."

Reborn clenched his fists. "Thank you," he said curtly before turning around and stomping out of the training room, making a beeline for the research section.

 _What does Verde want with Tsunade this time?_ fumed Reborn as he weaved through the crowd. _Tsunade never told me she was doing any research with Verde._ He knew it wasn't really any of his concern why Tsunade went off with Verde since she stayed in headquarters like their contract dictated, but Reborn was still extremely irritated to say the least. Reborn threw open the door leading to the research division and looked at the check-in sheet.

"Tsunayoki Sawada-Sinclair, Testing Room 4," he muttered to himself. After a few more turns around the ever-changing arrangement of rooms, Reborn found the room. He tried the handle on the door leading to the observation deck, but it was locked. Reborn blew out a frustrated breath and went in the main testing room instead. He looked up and saw Tsunade in the observation deck next to the Plexiglas window with her head down on a desk, her chest lightly rising up and down. She was wearing a white lab coat instead of her usual suit jacket and cloak, and her mouth moved as she mumbled to herself fitfully.

 _She's asleep_ , realized Reborn. _I've noticed the dark bags under her eyes lately, so I suppose she's been having trouble sleeping at night since we ran into the Puppeteer._ Whenever Reborn asked her about her sleep loss, Tsunade usually brushed him off. Suddenly, Reborn felt a pang of guilt for not pushing the issue.

A door near the back of the observation room opened, and Verde walked in, his head buried in the sheets of paper in his hand and his body angled away from the glass. He had a rare grin on his face, and he was talking rapidly, not noticing that Tsunade wasn't listening. After a few seconds, Verde looked up and saw that Tsunade was asleep. Verde paused, and then he slowly put his papers down next to Tsunade, his grin giving way to a soft smile. He kneeled down next to the desk, his face angled towards Tsunade's face. Reborn felt his blood boiling as Verde gently brushed a wisp of Tsunade's hair out of her face, his hand lingering on her cheek.

 _What the hell does he think he's doing?_ Reborn thought to himself, gritting his teeth.

Verde moved his hand from her cheek and just barely brushed against Tsunade's lips. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he leaned in closer slowly…mere centimeters away from her…

Reborn was about to shoot the glass when Tsunade stirred. Verde jerked his head back and quickly stood up. Tsunade yawned and rubbed her eyes, stretching her back before turning her attention to Verde. The two of them exchanged a few words, and then Tsunade's eyes widened. She grabbed the papers off the desk and read through them quickly. Then, she broke into a wide grin and clutched Verde's hands, spinning him around as she bounced up and down excitedly. Verde looked as shocked as Reborn felt. Tsunade stopped, her back to the glass and her eyes sparkling with exhilaration. She suddenly pulled Verde into a hug, and Verde, finally facing the glass, locked eyes with Reborn.

For a split second, the two rivals stared at each other, frozen. Then, a triumphant smirk grew on Verde's face, and Reborn's expression twisted dangerously. Verde gently patted Tsunade on the shoulder and pointed towards the glass. She turned around and waved enthusiastically to Reborn, oblivious to his murderous mood for once, and then she went to the back room to change. After making sure Tsunade shut the door, Verde sneered at Reborn and exited the observation deck. Reborn met him at the door of the testing room and grabbed him by the collar, resisting the urge to break all the bones in his body.

"My word, Reborn," said Verde mockingly. "This isn't an appropriate way to greet a fellow Arcobaleno."

"Don't patronize me!" snarled Reborn. "What the hell do you think you were doing to Tsunade?!"

"I didn't do anything," said Verde innocently. "We were merely celebrating the completion of our experiment after months of research."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Reborn threw Verde to the floor. "You know that she's a married woman, and you still touch her so casually!"

"Married?" scoffed Verde as he stood up and brushed himself off. "To you? Don't make me laugh. When you look at Tsunade, you see nothing but a piece of bait, another dispensable object for you to step on in your quest for revenge. All of her talent is going to waste as you pin her under your thumb."

"Her reputation is at stake here!" growled Reborn. "What if someone else walked through the door? What if a Vongola mafioso saw you two together? The prestige of both our famiglias is not something for you to play with for your experiments!"

"I don't care," said Verde flatly. "I've never cared for the petty politics between the famiglias, and I certainly will not waste the potential of such an intelligent young woman just because of a shoddy contract. Besides, the relationship between the Giglio Nero famiglia and the Vongola famiglia will be better than ever once we present our research and prototype tonight at the Vongola SciTech Conference." He smirked at Reborn's surprised look. "What? Did she forget to tell you that?"

Reborn balled his hands into fists. _She told me she was going to the SciTech Conference, and I gave her the green light since it's being held at HQ, but she failed to mention that she was going with this infuriating son of a bitch._

"What are you going to do?" snarked Verde as he walked closer to Reborn. "Keep her captive like a caged bird? Oh, but you don't even know how well the caged bird sings. You don't know _anything_ about your so-called wife. You're too busy playing with whoever you keep a separate phone for."

Verde's sneer grew wider as the blood drained from Reborn's face. "As a man in science, I pride myself in having a very keen and observant eye. Of course, as a mafioso, you could have many reasons for keeping a burner phone on you, but your reaction just now confirmed my suspicions. If you want to keep your phone a secret from Tsunade, then I suggest you keep what you saw just now to yourself. No need to break her heart more than you already have."

Reborn nodded stiffly, but he refused to back down. "You stay _away_ from Tsunade!" he said menacingly. "No matter what kind of convoluted experiment you're using her for, I will not allow it to destroy the relationship we built between our famiglias! Killing the Puppeteer comes before anything else. Tsunade understands that very well."

"How many times to I have to tell you that _I don't care_ ," hissed Verde. "My business with Tsunade is between us and us alone. No one will get in our way! Not even you, Reborn. You don't deserve her, you know? Using such a brilliant and beautiful woman as bait, you should be ashamed of yourself for wasting such potential! Tsunade deserves better than you!"

"Spit it out, Verde!" spat Reborn. "What are you trying to say?"

Verde's mocking expression contorted into an angry one, the closest Reborn had ever seen Verde get to hatred.

"I'm saying that she belongs with me!"

Reborn nearly took a step back, shocked by Verde's sudden declaration. _He…he might actually care about her,_ he realized. This thought made something in Reborn's chest twist painfully, and he felt strangely possessive.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Reborn snarled.

"Oh, but I already have, remember?" said Verde aggressively, looking right into Reborn's eyes as the two enemies stood mere inches apart. "Several times, in fact." He smirked at Reborn's deep scowl. "What, are you jealous?" he taunted. "Jealous that I've been closer to her than you ever have? Or are you curious? Do you want to know hot her hands feel against your skin, or how her hair feels as it slips through your fingers onto the sheets? Or perhaps you want to know what her lips feel like as she whispers into the nape of your neck, her breath hitching as your own fingers trace a meandering line down her back—"

Something in Reborn snapped. He swung his fist at Verde and hit him right in the face, sending him flying across the room.

"Ren!"

Reborn spun around and saw Tsunade standing in the doorway, her expression a mix of shock and hurt. She ran to Verde's side and helped him up.

"Are you ok, Verde?" she asked, concerned. Verde nodded, clutching a bloody nose and mouth.

"Nothing broken, luckily," he muttered, spitting out blood onto the floor.

 _Lucky indeed,_ thought Reborn furiously. _I only held back because of Tsunade._ He felt a sharp twinge of jealousy, watching Tsunade care for Verde.

"Go find the medic and see if you can get the bleeding to stop," said Tsunade, helping Verde to the door. "You're going to need to clean yourself up before we present our research tonight, but don't push yourself."

"Yes, yes, I understand," said Verde, waving her off. He looked over at Reborn and held his gaze, smirking again. "I wouldn't want to disappoint you tonight, my dear."

After Verde left the room, Tsunade slammed the training room door and turned around, glaring at Reborn.

"What the hell, Ren?!" she snapped.

"You can't go tonight," said Reborn flatly.

"Excuse me?" Tsunade stomped over, her glare intensifying with every step.

"You can't go tonight," repeated Reborn, glaring right back at her. "Especially not with _him_."

"You approved of this just a few days ago!" shouted Tsunade. "I've been working on this project for several months before I even met you! There will be Vongola-provided security, and my brother arranged an escort for me to get home safely. Hell, even my dad said he could watch over me! You literally have no reason to prevent me from going!"

Reborn scowled. He knew that she was right. Per their arrangement, he only could stop her from going to a social function if security wasn't tight enough, or if there was an imminent threat from the Puppeteer. However, at this moment, Reborn just wanted to keep her away from Verde.

"Verde is bad news!" hissed Reborn. "I don't care what kind of morbid scientific arrangement you have with him! It's best that you stay away from him."

"Who are you to tell me who I can and can't associate?!" snapped Tsunade. The two of them were standing mere inches apart.

"I'm your husband!" yelled Reborn.

"Stop! Stop acting for just one damn second!" For a brief moment, Reborn thought he saw a glint of hurt flash in Tsunade's eyes. "You don't have to pretend like this relationship is real when we're alone!" said Tsunade angrily. "We can go dance that whole 'lovey dovey' tango in public, but you and I both know that I don't mean that much to you!"

 _But I do care._ "I can't have you risking both the Vongola's and the Giglio Nero's reputations by associating with people like Verde!" snapped Reborn, trying to mask the sharp stabbing feeling he felt in his chest.

"I know you don't give a damn about the famiglias' reputations!" retorted Tsunade. "You just don't want to risk losing your bait because that's all I am to you. I'm your bait! I know that!"

The two of them stood there for a second, breathing heavily, and then Tsunade shoved Reborn and stepped back, her eyes unreadable.

"At least to Verde, I'm a friend," she said softly.

Tsunade turned her back on Reborn and quickly left the testing room, slamming the door behind her. Reborn fought the urge to run after her, refusing to swallow his pride.

 _He sees you as much more than a friend, but you're just too blind to see that,_ thought Reborn, seething. His blood was still boiling with fury, and the pain in his chest lingered. Reborn never liked or trusted Verde, but the level of hatred he felt for the man had grown exponentially since Tsunade entered Reborn's life. With Tsunade involved, nothing seemed to be quite so simple anymore.

Reborn felt his burner phone buzz. Upon checking the message, Reborn quickly threw the phone and shot it out of the air. As he gathered up the broken pieces, he felt a strange mix of relief and guilt.

"What a strange time for the Puppeteer to be active again," muttered Reborn. "However, my source has never asked to meet just for…pleasure." He threw the pieces of the phone into the disposal bin and went to open the testing room door, but he paused, suddenly unsure of what he was doing.

 _If Tsunade can run off with Verde, then I can meet with my source,_ he thought bitterly. He knew he wasn't being fair to Tsunade, but she was right. She was bait, and Reborn had to focus on the end game. He steeled himself and walked out of the room. However, as he walked, Reborn thought of what he told Lal Mirch on his wedding day:

" _Did you really think I would lock her up in my house like an obsessed psychopath?"_

It frightened Reborn that a few minutes ago , he had wanted to do just that.

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 **A/N: This was a fun chapter! Unfortunately, since the school year has started, there probably won't be any updates in the near future, but res assured, I won't abandon this story. Thanks to _Mimi_ , _Sailor Pandabear_ , _Guest_ , _Nekohana_ , and _Nezumi-chwan_ for reviewing!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So you might be wondering, "Why is there a new chapter so soon if she said she was going on hiatus?". The answer to that question is I have no idea. I decided to make the switch to Google Docs so that I could write and edit on the go, allowing me to make use of the 30 minute bus ride to school. However, since Goggle Docs doesn't have a word count feature, the chapter got a _little_ too long...ok a lot too long. After thinking about it for a day or two, I reluctantly decided to split the mega chapter into two separate chapters. This one is the first of the two, and I'll upload the second one either sometime tonight or next week.**

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Tsunade was beaming for the first time in months as many prominent scientists came up to her and commended her on her stellar presentation.

 _It's so nice to be surrounded by intelligent peers that appreciate my work,_ she thought happily. _This is much better than the hostile glares I receive from other mafiosos._

Tsunade and Verde were the last duo to present at the Vongola SciTech Conference, but their project was certainly the most memorable. After months of research, she and Verde had discovered how to create Flames artificially, and they developed a prototype of a machine that could produce any kind of Flame with a touch of a button. This was the first step to creating the weapons of the future, similar to the Box weapons of the Vongola Guardians, and everyone in the room was enthralled by the world of possibilities that Verde had presented. The scientists in the room didn't know that Tsunade and Verde had drawn on the research done on Tsunade's own condition, but it wouldn't have diminished the impact of their invention in the slightest. Unfortunately, they couldn't use their invention on biological organisms, which meant that Tsunade would have to keep searching for a cure to her corrupted Flames, but none of that mattered to her right now. Right now, she was basking in the glory of scientific prestige.

 _If I were a scientist, I could really have it all,_ thought Tsunade as she shook hands with a few Millefiore researchers. _Wealth, glory, fame, and the whole nine yards. None of that would be an issue for me, but that would mean giving up my life as a hitman._

Working as a scientist full time would certainly have its benefits, but it wouldn't leave any time for her to go on missions. Tsunade knew that she would miss the thrill of a particularly dangerous mission, or the challenge of planning a tricky extraction. She would be sad to part with her students, her allies, her hus-

 _Reborn._ Tsunade caught herself before her mind slipped up. She was still angry with him for hitting Verde, but she was hurt more than anything else. Reborn was acting very strangely these last few days, and it made her miss his old jibes and snarky comments. As the Puppeteer was getting closer, Tsunade could feel Reborn getting more and more impatient.

 _Maybe that's why he's trying to tighten his hold on me,_ she thought, annoyed. _I've already given him my life for his revenge. Isn't that enough?_ Her time was already limited, so the least that he could do was let her accomplish a few last things. Tsunade's research was very important to her, and it wasn't fair for Reborn to take that away just because of his rivalry with Verde.

However, Tsunade knew that the real reason she was hurt was very different from what she was telling herself.

 _I'm your husband!_

Tsunade inwardly flinched. When he said those words, her heart had skipped a beat. When she remembered he was acting, her heart had plummeted. No matter how her heart wanted to spin it, Tsunade knew that Reborn wouldn't be jealous. That wasn't how their arrangement worked. She knew he was anxious about her jeopardizing their act, causing him to lose his bait. She knew that better than anyone else.

Still, it wasn't fair that he was able to play with her feelings so easily.

Tsunade shook her head to dispel her thoughts. She grabbed a glass of champagne off a passing waiter's tray and downed it in one gulp.

"Reborn can go burn in hell," she muttered, slamming the glass down on the table.

"I'll drink to that." Tsunade looked up and saw Verde walking over to her, holding two more glasses of champagne. He handed her a glass, which Tsunade accepted without any hesitation.

"I never thought you would be one to drink your problems away," teased Verde as they clinked glasses.

Tsunade scowled while she drank. "You know it takes at least two bottles worth of alcohol to get me drunk," she said defensively. "A few small glasses are nothing to me. Besides, we put on a quite a show tonight, and I think that calls for some celebration."

Verde smiled slightly. "You're right," he said. "Our invention was the highlight of the night. They'll be talking about it for many years to come as the invention that changed the mafia world, and they'll be talking about us as the two great scientists who ushered in a new age of scientific achievement."

"You might be over exaggerating just a little bit," said Tsunade, though she was amused by the size if his ego. Verde was never one to skim over his many accomplishments.

"Say what you want, my dear, but with you by my side, I feel as if I can accomplish any feat," said Verde, tipping his glass towards her. "Especially if working with you means that I get to see you in such stunning apparel."

Tsunade smiled. It had taken a very long time for Keiko to convince her to wear a dress, but Tsunade had to admit that Keiko knew what she was talking about. After Keiko promised to cover up Tsunade's scars with a bit of makeup, Tsunade agreed to wear the sapphire blue sleeveless dress that Keiko picked out for her. The dress was made of a silk that shimmered under the light of the chandelier, and it felt pleasantly cool and smooth to the touch. Her usual leather gloves were replaced by dark blue satin ones that nicely matched her dress. The fitted silhouette of the dress was certainly flattering, and though the open back design left Tsunade feeling slightly vulnerable, it did turn quite a few heads when she walked into the room.

 _Quite a bold statement for a married woman to wear a dress like this,_ thought Tsunade, feeling a twinge of guilt. However, Reborn had been out of the house when Tsunade left, sending her a text saying that he was running an errand and to message him after the SciTech Conference. His message was stiff and formal, drawing a clear line between them. Tsunade responded in the same manner. After their angry outburst earlier today, both of them realized that they had to return to their original professional relationship. However, Tsunade knew that things between them could never be the same, at least from her side of the contract.

"Something on your mind, Tsunade?" asked Verde, looking at her curiously.

Tsunade pulled herself out of her thoughts. "Nothing of importance," she replied with a forced smile.

Verde didn't look quite convinced, but he nodded. "In that case, walk with me for a bit," he said. Tsunade placed her glass on the table and followed Verde, knowing that he probably wanted to discuss the next phase of their research. _He's never has any patience for dilly-dallying, but that's what makes him a great scientist,_ she thought fondly.

"Now that we have the approval of the scientific community and a rough framework of future practical applications of our work, it's time to put our ideas into action," said Verde as the two of the walked away from the crowd. "The faster we can try applying our research to actual machines, the better. I believe we both agreed to start with the machine that can produce enough Mist Flames to create large scale illusions. It's very important that we start drawing up a plan as soon as possible."

Tsunade nodded. "We can do much of the preliminary work in the Vongola labs, but we'll have to wait for approval before we can move on to full scale testing. Experimentation is going to require a wide stretch of space with no civilians nearby. It's going to take a while before we can find that sort of space here."

"These are all valid points, but I have a better idea," replied Verde.

"Let's go to America."

Tsunade abruptly stopped walking. "What?" she said, certain that she had misheard. "I'm sorry, but I could've sworn you just said 'let's go to America'."

"You didn't mishear me, dear," said Verde, turning to face her. "I did indeed suggest that we go to America. I have a few connections there that can give us access to a high class laboratory with all the latest technology we need to achieve maximum efficiency. Also, there are plenty of large open spaces that we can use without the risk of being seen."

"Verde, you _know_ that I have to stay here," said Tsunade. She wasn't sure why Verde wanted to leave. "I have to stay here in case-"

"In case the Puppeteer shows up," said Verde, finishing her sentence with an impatient wave. "Tsunade, you don't _have_ to do anything. You were virtually forced into marrying someone you barely knew while agreeing to sign your life away." Verde reached for her hands, and Tsunade could see that he was completely serious. "It's time for you to take back control of your life."

Tsunade was stunned into silence. Her mind was whirling with mixed emotions and conflicting thoughts. Verde was offering her a chance to escape from her reality, to create a new life in a new place.

"The Vongola's information network is vast, but it's not all-encompassing," continued Verde. "I designed many of the Vongola's security features, and even now we're standing on a blind spot that only I know of. Tsunade, it would be all too easy to slip away and start over. Yes, we would have to remain in hiding for a few years, but we would emerge as two of the most powerful scientists to ever live. The Vongola can't touch you then. I can give you everything that you've been so unfairly denied of: wealth, power, control,

And love."

Tsunade could see the pink tinge in Verde's aura and knew that he meant his words. "You're asking me to choose between my loyalty and my scientific ambition," she said, her head spinning.

"No," replied Verde softly. From the pocket of his lab coat, he pulled out a ring. Before Tsunade could react, he slipped it on her finger just barely above her wedding band.

"I'm asking you to choose me."

Tsunade could feel the strong force of Verde'semotions _. He's expecting me to say yes,_ she realized. Verde planned this moment with a great amount of confidence that Tsunade would go with him, and he was right. Why shouldn't she agree? All her life, she allowed herself to be mistreated and manipulated for the sake of the famiglia. Tsunade was constantly treated as a second class citizen and seen as an embarrassment even though she chose to sacrifice everything for the Vongola. Few people respected her, and hell, fewer people would even bother to give her the time of day. With Verde, she could have everything. Tsunade would finally have the recognition that she deserved. Her intelligence would be used to create mind boggling inventions and ground breaking research that would bring the admiration of the world. She knew Verde would respect and love her, and with time, Tsunade could learn to love him as well. They already had a deep connection, and all Tsunade needed to do was say yes...

 _I'm your husband!_

Reborn's words broke past the chaos of Tsunade's thoughts, and her heart jumped into her throat.

"No," whispered Tsunade, shaking her head. Verde's ring suddenly felt very heavy. "I can't go with you. I can't leave the Vongola."

Tsunade felt a squeezing pain in her chest when she saw Verde's face fall. "Why?" asked Verde in disbelief. "Why can't you?"

"They're my famiglia, Verde," said Tsunade, taking off the ring Verde gave her. "I swore my life to them, and even if they all despise me, this is the life I chose. The Vongola is my everything, and I will follow my mission through to the bitter end. I'm Tsunade Sawada-Sinclair, married to Renato Sinclair, and I will be until I either die at the hands of the Puppeteer or live long enough to see Reborn leave me." She gently placed the ring back into Verde's hand.

Verde looked at the ring, and his look of confusion quickly gave way to anger. "How can you be so loyal to the Vongola when they've treated you like trash for so long?!" he said furiously. "You're better off dead to most of them! You can't even walk to a training room without getting death glares from everyone you pass by!"

"Verde, I-" started Tsunade, but Verde cut her off.

"And Reborn? Don't even get me started on him!" he snapped. "You're literally nothing but bait to him! He would kill you himself if it meant even the slightest chance of killing the Puppeteer. His whole life has become centered around revenge, and yet you are still willing to call yourself his wife and play this ridiculous Vongola-fabricated charade!" He threw the ring to the ground.

"Don't tell me that you actually fell in love with him?!"

Tsunade was supposed to say no. The answer to that question was supposed to be no, she wasn't in love with him, but she suddenly couldn't speak. Her words got caught in her throat, and all she could think about was the wedding band that she almost always wore under her gloves. She was suddenly reliving every moment she spent with Reborn, from their daily spars to their light-hearted jabs to his infuriating smirk.

 _Maybe…_

Verde saw the hesitation written clearly on Tsunade's face. "I can't believe it," he said, his eyes wide with shock. "You love him."

"Verde-"

"You actually fell in love with him!" Verde's voice grew louder with hurt and rage. "You've only known him for, what, 4 months, and now you think you're in love?! That's the most pathetic thing I've ever heard! He'll never love you back, and you know that! Your hopeless unrequited love combined with your absurd loyalty to a famiglia that scorns you makes it sound like that you actually _enjoy_ having your heart torn to pieces!"

Tsunade felt a sharp pain in her chest with every word Verde spoke. "You don't understand," she said softly.

"Don't understand? Don't understand?!" Verde let out a harsh laugh. "My dear, I understand you better than anyone else! I _created_ you! I gave you the powers that make you so exceptionally unique! The reason why you are what you are today is all because of me! Without me, you would be nothing! Without me, you would be simply boring and normal.

You're the monster that you are today all because of me!"

Tsunade could barely process Verde's words. The words, _the experiment was a mistake_ , kept cycling through her head, desperately trying to reject the truth of the words she just heard. However, when Verde froze as he realized what he said, Tsunade could see the overwhelming guilt in his aura. _It's always been there_ , she realized, something building up in her chest. _The guilt has always been there._ Deep inside, she must've known that Verde had been lying to her, but she always crushed that revelation. She so desperately wanted to believe that he really did care about her, and that he was truly her friend. She didn't want to believe what she already knew. She didn't want to know that she was just an experiment.

 _We were always his favorite toys._

Something inside Tsunade broke a little.

Verde reached out to her, his anger gone and replaced by apprehension. "Tsunade-"

"No," said Tsunade. She took a step away from him. "No," she repeated. Her mind was whirling with a million thoughts at once. "You did this to me."

Verde flinched, and for some reason, that made Tsunade even angrier.

"You did this to me!" she shouted. Her pain and feelings of betrayal were etched clearly on her face. "You made me into this monster! You took advantage of a 10 year old's naive hope and made her into a human experiment! I trusted you, Verde! I actually thought that you were going to save me from the hell I was born into, but you just made it worse! Do you know how much pain and suffering I've caused because of your 'gift'? Do you know how much pain and suffering _you've_ caused because of your 'gift'?"

Verde looked at her with pleading eyes and took a step towards her. "Tsunade, please-"

"Stay right there!" snapped Tsunade. Verde nearly fell forward as his feet glued themselves to the floor. Tsunade's Flames were leaking into her voice, but she didn't care. "I can never be normal or accepted now because of you! Is that what you wanted? A social outcast who would rely on you because she had nowhere else to turn? Someone who would sacrifice everything to run off with you and help you create inventions that you've only dreamed of? News flash: I'm not that helpless girl anymore. You can't manipulate me the same way you once did. You lost that chance to the Puppeteer. Even though I know he thinks of me as bait, at least Reborn treats me with respect and even some admiration despite knowing that I'm an outcast. You, on the other hand, planned everything to make me a loner. Reborn was right." Her voice cracked.

"I'm just an experiment to you."

Tsunade turned away, unable to face Verde anymore.

"Please, Tsunade," pleaded Verde. "It's true that you were once just an experiment, but you're so much more now. I need you, and you need me, or else…" He trailed off. Tsunade spun back around, alarmed by his tone.

"Tell me!" she demanded. "Or else what? "

Verde swallowed nervously. "Tsunade, try to understand that I didn't know anything about you when I designed the experiment. I was trying to create a human weapon, and I succeeded. However, I knew how dangerous you could be if you became an enemy, so I built a failsafe into the experiment. In the last few years, I've been trying my hardest to reverse the effects of the failsafe, but my design was flawless."

"Stop beating around the bush!" growled Tsunade. "Tell me!"

"Your increased Flame production isn't a side effect," said Verde, unable to look at Tsunade in the eyes. "It's a biological program designed to burn you out before you reach 25.

Tsunade, you're dying."

Tsunade's breath caught in her throat. The world seemed to grind to a halt, and the ringing in her ears grew louder. She felt numb. A whirlwind of emotions flew through her head. Shock. Disbelief. Anger. Hurt.

 _Is this why the Puppeteer chose to act now? Because he knew that our time was limited? Because he knew that we were dying?_

"I don't care if you hate me," continued Verde. "I don't care if you won't run off with me, but you need me to find a cure!"

Tsunade suddenly felt icy calm. "You know what I need?" she said coldly, the full force of her Flames now present in her voice. "I _need_ you to stay the hell away from me. You will never come near me ever again, nor will you even try to contact me ever again. Do you understand?"

Verde was forced to nod, and Tsunade glared at him fiercely.

"If I am going to die, then so be it," she said bitterly. "But I will die as I have lived: for the Vongola. Get out of my sight."

Verde, compelled by Tsunade's power, promptly turned around and left. Tsunade stood in the empty hallway for a second, and then she began running. She flung her high heels to the ground and ran right out of Vongola HQ and into the pouring rain, her legs refusing to stop. When she made it out into the alleyway adjacent to headquarters, the tears began falling. Tsunade slumped against the wall and began sobbing, embarrassed by her own weakness.

 _At least in the rain, no one can hear you cry._

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry if this chapter feels kind of unsatisfying because like I said, it was originally supposed to be half of a mega chapter. Thanks to , _Nekohana_ , _Sailor Pandabear_ , _hikariwhite95_ , and _Guest_ for reviewing. I really appreciate the feed back!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Confession: I finished this chapter about 3 months ago. The reason why I didn't post it is because this is a pretty heavy chapter and I was kinda uncertain as to whether I should proceed with my ideas about this. After sleeping on it for a while, I decided to stay true to my story and tell it the way I thought was appropriate, so enjoy!**

* * *

Reborn was furious.

 _Why the hell hasn't Tsunade messaged me yet?_ He was using a new burner phone, but he sent Tsunade a message from his new number, and he knew Tsunade had seen the message because she had replied to him. Reborn had asked her to text him as soon as she got home, as usual, but it was already midnight and he had not gotten a message.

 _She said she would be back by 11 PM_ , he thought, irritated. _I didn't think she would be so petty as to ignore me after our argument._

He was more than annoyed at Tsunade, and he knew that she was downright furious with him. Why shouldn't she? Reborn had basically tried to tell her that she couldn't go to the most important event in her scientific career. Tsunade had every reason to be upset with him. At the same time, however, Reborn didn't regret his actions. Last time, he understood he was wrong, but this time for some reason, he refused to acknowledge that he had made a mistake. Maybe he was the one being petty, but why shouldn't he prevent Tsunade from going with a man the Reborn knew was in love with her? He was her husband for God's sake!

 _Not a very good one,_ said the snide voice of reason in his head. _Just look at you now._

Reborn felt a sudden weight on his shoulders as someone draped herself on his back.

"Aww, checking your phone while you have such an attractive woman in your company?" pouted the woman, tracing his breastbone with a perfectly manicured finger. "That's quite rude, now isn't it?"

Reborn roughly shrugged her off and abruptly stood up, turning around to glare at his source. "You've had your fun, now give me the information, Chihera," he snapped.

"Ouch, what a harsh tone you've got there," said Chihera, a flirty smile tugging at the edges of her lips. She got up off the bed and sauntered over to him. Her hair was still wet from her shower. "You know I like it when you're a little…" Chihera leaned in closer, her lips inches away from Reborn's ear. " _Harsh."_

Reborn didn't budge. "The information," he repeated impatiently. He had already wasted enough time playing the Puppeteer's little game.

Chihera sighed dramatically and took a step back, her hand lingering briefly on Reborn's cheek.

"You're impossible to please," she said with a flick of her wrist as she crossed over to the other side of the room.

Chihera leaned over and pressed down on a section of the wall. The wall seemed to make a "click" sound, and a false panel was revealed. From the false panel, she took out a file folder with a few pieces of paper in it. Reborn had no idea how she was able to get the information into the room without him noticing. Like always, Chihera let him choose the hotel and watched in amusement as he spent the next hour carefully sweeping the room for bugs and possible hiding spots. Every time, she managed to catch him off guard, and he hated it. He knew that she definitely had the Puppeteer's help, but she also probably possessed an impressive skill set of her own before she fell under the Puppeteer's influence.

 _Just like Tsunade,_ thought Reborn with a slight twinge of guilt. Last time he met with Chihera, he realized that she looked astonishingly similar to Tsunade. He had never noticed it in the past because he didn't know Tsunade back then, but now he saw that her hair was the same shade of soft brown as Tsunade's hair, and her face shape and body structure were remarkably similar to Tsunade's as well. Chihera was a bit older than Tsunade, but it was hard to tell due to the use of anti-aging products and minor plastic surgery. It sickened him to realize that the Puppeteer certainly had a type, and that all his puppets were modified to fit Tsunade's image.

Chihera handed Reborn the file folder. "You get a bonus this time," she said as Reborn quickly scanned through the documents. "There are some documents in there that you'll find quite interesting."

Reborn froze when he got to a page labeled with the CEDEF insignia and stamped with Iemitsu's personal seal. He held it up, guessing it was a forgery, but the paper revealed the Vongola insignia against the light, proving that it was an authentic CEDEF document.

"How did you get this?" demanded Reborn. This was a serious breach in security.

"Oh, I have my ways," said Chihera mysteriously. "I heard that you were having trouble finding documents on the elusive Black Lorelei, so I pulled some for you. They were quite well hidden, you know. Do I get a reward?"

Reborn ignored her. _I would talk to Iemitsu about this security breach, but then I would have to explain how I got this information,_ he thought, troubled. _I doubt he'd be pleased to hear the truth._

 _When did everything get so damn complicated?_

Reborn decided to keep this new information to himself for the time being. After looking at the other documents and making sure that the details of the Puppeteer's latest victim were included, he closed the file folder.

"I'm leaving," he said curtly. Chihera, currently drying her hair, paused to wiggle her fingers at Reborn.

"Bye bye love," she said with a smirk. "We'll be waiting."

Reborn felt a shiver run down his back. It always disturbed him when she said that. It reminded him that the Puppeteer was always with Chihera, directing her actions. However, he knew from Tsuna's report that the Puppeteer couldn't control minds, so everything that she said had to be her own words. For the first time, he hesitated at the door, suddenly curious about something.

"I'm not trying to break whatever delusion you're under because I know it's hopeless," he said slowly. "But why are you doing this? I know he can't control your heart."

Chihera looked at him like he was stupid. "I do it because I love him," she said. For a moment, her dull eyes seemed to gleam with something real.

"But to go to such lengths for him?" pressed Reborn. "Why?"

Chihera laughed and stood up, walking over to Reborn. She draped her arms around his neck and came very close, her face mere centimeters away from Reborn's. Reborn stiffened but didn't move. "I think you should ask yourself that question first," she said coyly. "You know that love doesn't play by the rules. If love was rational, then neither of us would be standing here right now, isn't that right, Reborn? Your hair wouldn't be as dripping wet as mine, and you certainly wouldn't have let me do this." She leaned in and kissed him, lingering on his lips just a little too long before playfully shoving him out the door.

"See you later, sweetheart," she said, blowing him a kiss before shutting the door.

Reborn stood in the hallway, stunned, for a moment before collecting himself and walking briskly towards the hotel lobby. He didn't want to admit it, but Chihera's words had gotten to him because she was brutally accurate.

 _I'm no better than she is,_ he thought as he gave a small nod to the concierge before walking out of the revolving doors. _Everything I'm doing I say is for Luce, and so I keep crossing a line I know I shouldn't._

Reborn arrived at his car, avoiding the puddles left by the rain. After carefully checking to make sure that there were no bugs, tracking devices, or explosives on it, Reborn got in the car and pulled his keys out of a hidden pocket in his hat. While reaching for the keys, however, his hand brushed against his wedding band, and Reborn felt a sharp burst of pain in his chest. He slowly pulled out the ring and stared at it.

 _Does Tsunade wear her ring?_ he wondered. She always had her gloves on, so he could never tell. Thinking about Tsunade reminded him of more pressing issues than his own guilt. He pulled out his burner phone and dialed the number of Vongola Headquarters. After two rings, someone picked up.

"Hello, Vongola Enterprises. How may we help you today?"

"Yes, I'm inquiring about the Sky Package that you're offering to long term customers," said Reborn, reciting the coded message from memory.

"I'm sorry, but all our customer service representatives are unavailable at this moment," replied the voice. "Are you able to hold?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. We'll be with you as soon as possible."

When the music started playing, Reborn inputted the correct code for Tsuna's office. In a few seconds, Tsuna picked up the phone.

"Reborn?" he said, confused. "Why are you calling from a new number?"

"Not important right now," replied Reborn. "Where's Tsunade?"

There was a brief moment of silence. "...she isn't with you?" asked Tsuna slowly.

"No, of course not," said Reborn, now also confused. "Why would she be with me?"

"She texted me a few hours ago saying that she had left the convention and that you came to pick her up," said Tsuna. "That's why she didn't need a security escort back to your mansion."

"What? She never even messaged me. Why would she-" Reborn abruptly stopped talking, a horrible thought creeping into his head. "Tsuna, do you know if Verde is still at the convention?"

"Verde? He checked out a while ago," said Tsuna, not sure where Reborn was going with this. "He left a little while after Tsunade texted me."

Reborn felt a wave of fury surging forth in his chest. "Dame-Tsuna, did you not think to check with me after Tsunade said she left?" he growled. "What if someone took her phone and messaged you with it? What if she was attacked and someone wanted to throw you off guard?"

"Tsunade would never-" Tsuna started, but Reborn cut him off.

"She's still human! She's bound to make some mistakes!" he yelled. "I put her in your care for the night because I trusted that you would watch her!"

"She's a grown woman, Reborn!" replied Tsuna hotly, stunned by Reborn's fierce tone. "She's able to take care of herself. Tsunade would never ask for the Vongola Decimo to babysit her."

"Maybe she wouldn't ask the Vongola Decimo, but she would ask her older brother to protect her!" snapped Reborn. There was silence on the other end as Tsuna absorbed Reborn's words.

"Best case scenario, she actually went back to your mansion alone," Tsuna finally said. "Go back and check first, and let me know. If she's not there, then I will send mafiosos to scour the ends of the earth to find her."

"As you should," said Reborn coldly. He hung up and immediately started the car. Reborn knew that he was being unfairly harsh to Tsuna, but his mind was completely occupied with Tsunade at the moment. As he sped out of the parking lot, he gripped his wedding band tightly in his hand.

He had to believe in her. He had to trust that she wouldn't have done something rash. However, after his confrontation with Verde earlier, Reborn felt unusually insecure. He knew that Verde wanted Tsunade, and that Verde had the money and resources to make the two of them disappear. Verde could give Tsunade everything she ever wanted, and what could Reborn offer her? A guaranteed death? She sacrificed everything for him and her famiglia, so why wouldn't she want it back? Tsunade already had a history with Verde, so leaving with him was the logical choice. Verde could promise her a future. Reborn could barely promise that she would live to see tomorrow.

Reborn took a sharp turn off the main road onto a secret side road. He always took this route to throw off any potential cars following him, but it made the trip much longer. Reborn gritted his teeth and focused on driving, pushing his doubts out of his head.

He could only hope at this point.

* * *

Reborn arrived at his mansion around 1 AM, nearly an hour after he called Tsuna. Along the way, Tsuna called back and said that he had reviewed the security tapes around the time that Tsunade left. Tsunade was seen walking with Verde down the hallway leading out of the convention room, but then they disappeared from view for a few minutes, evidently hidden in a small blind spot that no one but the designer of the security system, Verde, knew existed. Verde finally came back into view after ten minutes, walking quickly down the hall back towards the convention room. Tsunade came back into view a few seconds later, throwing off her high heels and running in the opposite direction. She took the stairs and went straight out of HQ and onto the open street, where she disappeared. Verde left a few minutes afterwards, and a Vongola car was reportedly checked out by Tsunade around the same time.

Timeline-wise, it didn't seem like Tsunade and Verde had any intention of leaving the party together, but it was still a possibility. Reborn slammed the car door and rushed to the front door, cursing as he fumbled with his keys. He had no words to describe or explain the thoughts and emotions that were running through his head. All he could think about now was Tsunade, and a small part of him was almost frightened by his one sided mindset. It's been a long time since someone could dominate his thoughts to the point that he threw logic and caution to the wind.

 _You know that love doesn't play by the rules._

 _Maybe…_

Reborn flung open the door and began looking through the house. _She's not on the first floor,_ he thought after a few minutes of frantic searching. His heart was pounding as he ran up the stairs. A quick look over of Tsunade's room revealed that nothing was missing, but she didn't have that many belongings anyway. She could easily start a new life without bringing anything with her. After looking through all the other rooms, Reborn was ready to call Tsuna when he noticed that the door to the attic was slightly ajar. He pulled down the ladder to the attic and climbed up. Once in the attic, he looked around and saw that one of the windows was open. In one last act of desperation, he climbed out the window and turned around.

Up on the roof was Tsunade.

Reborn's shoulders sagged with relief, and he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. After sending a quick text to Tsuna to confirm that Tsunade was safe, he carefully scaled the wet roof tiles and went to Tsunade.

Tsunade was wearing a stunning blue dress that Reborn had never seen before, though the fabric was slightly damp from the rain. Astonishingly, Tsunade was asleep, clutching her knees tightly to her chest as she muttered fitfully with her eyes shut. Her wet hair was a mess, and any makeup that she had been wearing had washed off as well, leaving random streaks on her dress.

Reborn thought she looked beautiful.

He sat down next to her, breathing heavily, and then he laughed bitterly. Tsunade would never run off with Verde if it meant betraying the Vongola. Her loyalty to her famiglia was unbreakable. Verde could never get her to put him over the Vongola, and Reborn knew that. He had known since the day he met Tsunade, when she gave away her freedom to marry a complete stranger and die for the famiglia. Despite all of this, he still doubted her. He was such a fool.

Reborn looked over at Tsunade and carefully observed her features. She looked so pale in the moonlight, almost sickly so. It was then that Reborn noticed the many scars crisscrossing her arms and her back. Reborn felt a knot form in his stomach as he looked at her scars in horror, some small and faded, others long and ragged. He hesitantly traced a particularly nasty scar that went from the nape of Tsunade's neck to the small of her neck. It was nearly an inch wide, and the new light pink skin was raised enough for him to feel the bumps along the scar.

 _This is why she always covers up,_ he realized. _She can't look at herself without being reminded of the Puppeteer, and yet she still agreed to serve as bait and run the risk of reliving her worst nightmare._

Reborn slowly reached for Tsunade's left hand. Her gloves had been thrown to the side, revealing the dark X's on both hands that she hated so much. On her left hand, however, there was something that reflected the moonlight.

 _Her ring,_ thought Reborn. His heart skipped a beat. He observed her ring and noticed that despite the fact that she always kept it concealed, it was already showing signs of wear and tear. There were a few scratches against the rose gold metal, and some of the gems were slightly chipped.

She almost never took it off.

Reborn felt a sharp twisting feeling in his chest. He didn't deserve someone as dedicated as Tsunade. She had a unique mind and strong heart that was fitting for a Vongola mafioso. Tsunade would never betray him or anyone that she swore herself to.

 _And what about you?_ Reborn asked himself. _What happened to the invincible hitman whose loyalty and strength made him worthy of the title, 'The World's Strongest Hitman'?_

He already knew the answer to that question. The person he used to be died with Luce under that bridge in Paris. However, when he was with Tsunade, it was almost like he didn't destroy himself already in the pursuit of revenge. It was like he was himself again.

Reborn noticed that Tsunade was shivering, from the cold or her nightmare, he didn't know. He took off his suit jacket and gently placed it over Tsunade's shoulders. When he did so, Tsunade's mumbling stopped for a brief second, and she smiled a little. Reborn realized how much he enjoyed seeing her smile. In fact, he enjoyed spending every day with her. From her morning scowl to her adrenaline fueled grin to her occasional half smile, Reborn remembered it all. She was probably the one person in the world who could match his talent and skill level in both fighting and intelligence. Tsunade gave him something to look forward to every morning, which was something that he hadn't had in a very long time.

When he saw her on the roof, his first thought had been _"she chose me"_. Even though he told himself it wasn't true, even though he knew it was far more likely that she chose loyalty, he wanted it to be true. Now, Reborn looked at her and realized that he wasn't worthy of her. All the anger that had projected onto Tsuna was supposed to be directed at himself. He was a man who threw away all of his moral principles for revenge, and she was a woman who clung to everything she believed in despite everything that she had gone through. She let him use her as a pawn when she could've been the queen.

Reborn suddenly felt really tired. He spent so long lying to himself and others that he didn't know what was the truth anymore. What he did know was that something between him and Tsunade had completely changed, and even though he had a feeling he knew what it was, he wasn't brave enough to admit it. Reborn sighed deeply.

 _How do you tell someone whom you've condemned to die that you don't want her to leave?_

* * *

" _Aquarius is over there in the bottom right, and over there is the 'Lonely Star of Autumn," said Tsunade as she pointed excitedly up at the night sky. It was a bit chilly out, but she felt only the warmth from his arm wrapped around her waist._

" _Mhm," he said. Tsunade looked over and saw that he was staring at her, smiling. She blushed and quickly turned away, embarrassed that she had been so enraptured by the stars that she didn't notice him mesmerized by her._

" _Y-you know that you can't see the stars if you keep staring at me, right?" stuttered Tsunade. Her heart was pounding more than it should._

 _He placed his hand on Tsunade's cheek and gently turned her head towards him._

" _I don't need any of the stars in the sky when I already have all the stars in your eyes, Tsunade," he said softly. He pulled her even closer and leaned in closer. Tsunade tilted her head up towards his._

" _I love you, Tsunade."_

" _I love you too."_

 _She never saw him plunge the knife into her back._

* * *

Tsunade woke up with a start, her heart still beating rapidly.

 _It's just a nightmare,_ she reminded herself, going through her usual breathing exercises to calm herself down. _It's just a nightmare._

The events of the past few hours came rushing back to her. After calming down enough to think clearly, Tsunade had made her way over to a Vongola car lot nearby and checked out a car with her ID card. When she had gotten in the car, she just started driving, unsure of where to go or what to do. She simply wanted to get out of there. However, after driving aimlessly for hours, Tsunade realized that she had been heading in one general direction. She was suddenly reminded of something that Luce once told her,

 _The heart is an arrow, and it demands its aim to be true._

Her heart had been pointing her somewhere at that moment, and so Tsunade dropped off the car in a nearby overnight parking lot and ran, her bare feet hitting the pavement with an unexplainable urgency. In an hour, she found herself at the front door of Reborn's mansion. However, the moment she had stepped in, she felt lost again. Her heart had lost its direction. Tired but unable to sleep, Tsunade had dragged herself upstairs and onto the roof, where she could see the clouds disappearing to reveal the moon and the stars. After a while, she drifted off.

Tsunade noticed an unusual weight on her shoulders. She looked and was surprised to see a suit jacket draped over her. It was much too large to be hers, which meant it was…

She looked to her left and saw Reborn sitting a little distance away from her. He had an unreadable expression on his face, and he was looking up towards the sky. Tsunade blanched as she realized that she had forgotten to text him.

 _He's probably furious,_ she thought anxiously. However, upon glancing at his aura, she saw no anger, only a mix of several conflicting and confusing emotions. It wasn't unusual for Tsunade not to be able to read Reborn, but usually his emotions were well hidden. Right now, his emotions were out in the open, and he seemed deep in thought.

"You're awake," he said, not turning his head to look at her. "You certainly chose a strange place to take a nap."

"Yeah," said Tsunade, a little unsure of how she should respond. There was something heavy in the air between them as they both were reminded of their argument earlier. Tsunade felt her heart clench painfully. She hated this tension between them.

"You were right about Verde," she admitted.

"I know."

"I'm sorry that I forgot to message you."

"I know."

There was a brief pause.

"I'm sorry, Ren."

"I know."

Tsunade chuckled a little. It was nice to hear that his arrogance was still intact. She kept staring at him, unable to look away. The wind rustled his spiky black hair and gently moved his curly sideburns. The moonlight only illuminated half of his face, and his black eyes reflected a sliver of light. His wedding band glinted in the moonlight as well, and this observation made Tsunade's pulse quicken again.

"I'm sorry too, Tsunade."

Tsunade's brow wrinkled in disbelief. Reborn rarely apologized for anything, even if he was clearly wrong. For him to say sorry to her meant that he honestly meant it. She sighed with relief.

Tsunade pulled Reborn's suit jacket tighter around her as she thought about the different atmosphere around the house now that Reborn was here with her. When she had entered the mansion, it seemed dark and foreboding despite the fact that she had been living there for four months. For a moment, the place she thought of as "home" had seemed completely foreign to her. However, with Reborn, she felt comfortable here again.

It was strange that one person could change her entire perspective, but that was what Reborn kept doing to her. In the last few months, she had grown in leaps and bounds in more ways than one. She was not only a better hitman, but she was also a better person as well. Before meeting Reborn, she would've never taken on any students to train. Tsunade would've surely continued to go on solo missions until the day she died, unable to fill the empty feeling in her chest that the Puppeteer created. It took Reborn's presence in her life for her to understand that she was almost unbearably lonely.

 _The heart is an arrow that demands its aim to be true._

 _The home is where the heart is._

Tsunade's heart skipped a beat. She understood now why her heart had led her back here. It wasn't the house that drew her back. Instead, it was the experiences and memories that she had here. It was the early morning spars with Reborn that made adrenaline flow through her veins. It was the first cup of coffee in the morning with Reborn sitting across from her and teasing her. It was the intellectual arguments that she had with Reborn in his large library. It was Reborn, with all of his arrogant smirks and witty remarks and remarkable skills that drew her back here. It was clear why she rejected a life of leisure with Verde now. It wasn't just because her loyalty to the Vongola was stronger than Verde had expected, but it was also because Verde didn't understand the hitman side of her the way Reborn did. Even in her conversation with Verde, all she could think about was her hitman career that brought her into contact with Reborn.

It was Reborn who had her heart.

Tsunade quickly sealed the revelation deep inside of her before it could wreak havoc on her emotions. She had to focus on reality and remember that their arrangement didn't permit her to have feelings like this. There were already many secrets that she was hiding from Reborn, and this would just be another one. She refused to jeopardize her mission and the Vongola's honor just for her own desires. Besides, Verde's words kept resonating through her head.

 _Tsunade, you're dying._

Tsunade felt her heart drop like a stone. It wasn't fair of her to cling onto Reborn when she was going to die anyway, either at the hands of the Puppeteer or by her own Flames. She didn't deserve to be with a perfect and strong-willed mafioso like him. No, she would see her mission through to the bitter end and allow her feelings to be buried with her.

However, just for today, Tsunade was tired of lying to herself. After a brief moment of hesitation, she stood up, wincing as pain shot through her body, and walked over to Reborn.

He pretended not to notice when she sat down next to him. She pretended not to notice when his hand slowly reached for hers. He pretended not to notice when she hesitantly laid her head against his shoulder. She pretended not to notice when he laced his fingers through hers.

Under the starry night sky, they both pretended that it was still an act.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm condensing and reorganizing story events so there's no guarantee as to when the next chapter will be out, but it'll be out, I promise! Thank you to __, _Sailor Pandabear_ , _ImmortalFriend2772_ , and _Guest_ for reviewing!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: SORRY FOR THE WAIT GUYS! In addition to the stress of the school year, I had a slew of personal issues that I had to deal with that took away my time to write. I was going to make this chapter much longer, but I ended up splitting it so that I could get this chapter out quicker. Anyway, I'm still continuing this story so don't worry!**

* * *

"How do you feel?" asked Keiko, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"I feel like a plucked turkey," deadpanned Tsunade. "It's as if you scrubbed off a layer of my skin and replaced it with makeup."

Keiko pouted. "No pain, no gain," she said with a sniff. "Besides, it's not my fault that the Vongola Decimo assigned you a mission that requires you to dress to the nines."

Tsunade scowled but kept her mouth shut. She had been working on a long term mission that required her to take on the fake persona of Kazui Miyuki-a rich but young professional pianist who was rumored to have deep ties in the underground money laundering business. Ms. Kazui was also known for her reputation as a temptress, and as much as Tsunade hated wearing makeup and being overly flirty, she had to play the part well.

Tonight's mission was the culmination of all of her work in the past few months. The Vongola had been trying to take down a particularly nasty child trafficking ring for a few years, and when they started getting close, Tsunade assumed her new persona to con information out of the trafficking organization's leaders. There was a party tonight in a remote estate out in the countryside, not so far from Reborn's own mansion, hosted by the head of the organization himself, Sugino Danzo. Kazui Miyuki was the entertainment for tonight, and Tsunade was determined to squeeze the last bit of information that the Vongola needed to locate the supplier out of Danzo.

 _Even if it means being plucked and stabbed by Keiko,_ thought Tsunade in mild annoyance. The two of them were currently in Keiko's new beauty parlor, opened 2 months ago with her boyfriend as the cosigner. She was doing very well, and the waiting list for her new clothing line was reaching a thousand people and counting. Her underground sources proved to also be valuable customers. Keiko's small store was always crowded with people from many different walks of life; however, the store was closed so that Keiko could help Tsunade with her disguise.

"Where's Reborn?" asked Keiko, pulling Tsunade out of her thoughts.

"He's taking Sakamoto and Hiroshi to the tailor," replied Tsunade, trying not to wince as Keiko continued with her "beauty treatment". "Sakamoto doesn't own a suit, and Hiroshi's suit is a bit too small."

Keiko giggled a little. "You make it sound like Reborn is taking the kids out to do some shopping while you get a makeover," she teased.

Tsunade flushed dark red. "If they're going to pretend to be my bodyguards, they need to be immaculately dressed," she muttered. "Borrowed suits from the Vongola's costume warehouse won't cut it this time."

Keiko snorted. "Ok, Tsunade," she said playfully. "Keep on telling yourself whatever lies you want."

Tsunade decided the best course of action was just to shut up and let Keiko be Keiko. However, she had to admit that Keiko's words had some truth to them. Neither Tsunade nor Reborn had mentioned that night on the roof, but there was something new between them. The tension of the last few weeks since running into the Puppeteer had dissipated, and they were back to their usual playful bantering and friendly competition. However, there were little things in their actions that almost seemed...affectionate. Tsunade found herself turning to her side to tell Reborn something she thought of, only to remember that he had stepped out of the room to grab something. Reborn would unconsciously pull Tsunade closer when someone shot her a scathing look, only to quickly pull his hand away and frown in confusion.

A few days ago, Reborn had discovered the Puppeteer's latest victim. At first glance, a bystander would see nothing but a statue of a woman, her mouth wide open in horror as she tried to reach up for help from whatever it was she was afraid of. However, at Reborn's request, Vongola forensic scientists had chiseled into the plaster and discovered a body under the plaster, eerily preserved. Further investigation revealed that the victim had been drowned in a vat of plaster and then carefully chiselled to reveal even the most subtle details. When Tsunade arrived on the scene, she had felt the familiar disgust and fear threatening to overwhelm her again as she fought her deeply buried memories. It was only when Reborn laid a hesitant hand on her shoulder did she realize that she was shivering, and his touch immediately calmed her down. She had felt a keen sense of loss when he pulled his hand away, and she almost had asked him to stay with her. It was in such times that Tsunade found herself on the verge of telling him that he meant the world to her, that she wanted to mean something more to him. However, the words caught in her throat when she read the Puppeteer's latest note.

" _It's always the ones you love most that cut you the deepest."_

As always, the note was directed to her, though Tsunade did vaguely notice a curious feeling of guilt from Reborn. Tsunade knew loving Reborn would only hurt him in the long run, especially once he found out the truth about her, Besides, it wasn't like she had much time left anyway. She only had enough pills from Verde to last her maybe four more months, six if she used her Flames from time to time. Tsunade had the willpower to hold out for just a bit longer, but she would suffer the pain of unrequited love alone. She refused to drag anyone else down with her.

"All done!" chirped Keiko.

Tsunade turned her attention back to the mirror. As always, she almost didn't recognize the elegant woman staring back at her with her flawless winged eyes and sharp red lips. Her cheeks shone brightly from the rosy blush Keiko masterfully applied, and her high cheek bones were prominently accented to add a flirty look.

"Looks like Kazui Miyuki is back in town," said Tsunade with a slight smile.

Keiko beamed happily and wrapped her arms around Tsunade from behind. "You look gorgeous, love!" she said happily. "Sometimes I surprise myself with my own talent!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes, but she grinned. Overcome with a sudden surge of sentimentality, she placed her hand over Keiko's and squeezed it tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. "For always being there for me."

Keiko squeezed her hand back. "Of course."

A sharp knock brought the two of them back to reality. "Looks like your husband is back with the kids," said Keiko with a wink as she turned away to unlock the door. Tsunade sighed and followed Keiko out into the main parlor area. Keiko opened the door and let Sakamoto and Hiroshi stumble in. The two of them were arguing, as usual, but they both abruptly stopped bickering when they saw their tutor.

"Where's Reborn?" asked Keiko, noticing that the two children came in alone.

"R-running an er-errand," stuttered Sakamoto, suddenly unable to speak clearly.

The four of them stood in silence before Tsunade started to shift uncomfortably under their stares. "What is it?" she snapped.

Sakamoto and Hiroshi exchanged a quick look before Hiroshi blurted out, "Yoki-sensei! You actually are a woman!"

A vein on Tsunade's forehead bulged out.

"Did you think I was lying to you?!"

* * *

Reborn sat at an empty table outside of his favorite local cafe, staring intensely at the documents he had with him. He had been concerned about what people would think if they saw him carrying around CEDEF files, so he had painstakingly typed up every file before locking the official documents into his personal safe.

 _Why did Iemitsu hide these files from me?_ he wondered, troubled. _He wasn't legally obligated to hand them over, but there's no reason why he wouldn't want to patch things up as soon as possible._

Reborn set his troubled thoughts aside and focused on the document in front of him. It was a profile of the Black Lorelei, listing basic facts about her build and skills. Most of the profile seemed pretty standard, but one particular sentence caught his eye.

 _Known Assets: The Black Puppeteer, Lal Mirch_

 _Lal?_ _What does Lal have to do with the Black Lorelei?_ Reborn's brow furrowed in confusion. He remembered what Colonello had mentioned to him about Lal's hushed conversation with Iemitsu. Maybe Lal had closer ties to the Black Lorelei than he thought, but did this also mean that she knew the Puppeteer? Was Lal hiding more information from him?

He sighed and threw the files down in frustration. The more he learned about the Black Puppeteer's history, the less he understood what he was dealing with.

 _Maybe a part of me just doesn't want to understand anymore,_ he admitted to himself. In the past, he had been able to scour entire databases for information about the Puppeteer, often forgoing sleep and food to focus on reading. However, though he had read the files a few times over already, he was surprisingly not into it. His mind kept wandering back to Tsunade and how he couldn't stop thinking about her since that night up on the roof. Yes, avenging Luce was still Reborn's highest priority, but using Tsunade to do it was becoming less and less appealing as every day he spent with her passed by. Reborn sometimes caught himself thinking of ways to lure out the Puppeteer without putting Tsunade in harm's way, and though he usually shook himself out of those thoughts, he often returned to them.

"Uncle!"

Yuni's voice pulled Reborn out of his musings. He quickly slipped the files back into his briefcase and stood up to meet Yuni, who was stepping out of her limo with Gamma's help. Yuni wrapped her arms tightly around Reborn, and he kissed the top of her head.

"Hello Yuni," he said affectionately. Yuni smiled at him and then took a seat across from him while asking Gamma to wait in the limo. After she ordered a cappuccino and exchanged some basic pleasantries with Reborn, she pulled an envelope out of her jacket.

"This is what I called you here for," she said, handing Reborn the letter. Reborn froze when he recognized the elaborate seal on the envelope addressed to him.

"Luce wrote this," he said, turning the envelope around in his hands.

Yuni nodded. "I found it when I was going through the last of my grandmother's personal effects yesterday. It was hidden in a little black box wedged underneath the floorboards in her room, which is why I never noticed it before. I wanted to give it to you as soon as I could."

Reborn stared at the letter. Half of him wanted to tear the envelope open and read her last words to him, but the other half refused to. He was a little frightened of what was inside, and a bit of guilt held him back. What if she knew she would die and that he would be powerless to stop it? What if she resented his weakness?

Reborn felt the warmth of Yuni's hand on his own and realized that his knuckles had turned white.

"Relax, Uncle," said Yuni reassuringly. "My grandmother was as kind as she was wise. There is nothing in this letter that would blame you for anything."

Reborn took a deep breath and relaxed his grip on the letter. Then, he carefully undid the wax seal that held it closed and took out the neatly folded paper within. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Luce's elegant handwriting.

 _My dearest Renato,_

 _If you are reading this, then that must mean I have moved on the the next world. I know that my death has been caused by the Puppeteer, and I know that you blame yourself for being unable to save me. The next few years will be a constant battle for you as you try to avenge me by tracking down the Puppeteer through any means possible. You will abandon the morals you once held close to your heart, and you will commit acts that once horrified you. I have seen what the future holds for you, and though I cannot see as far as I once could, I will tell you the words that you don't want to but need to hear._

 _I forgive you._

 _Ren, death is not a force that even you are capable of stopping. When the time comes, I will fall with as much grace as I can muster. You must not blame yourself for something you have no control over. That is like blaming an extinguished fire for the gust of wind that put it out. Maybe it is too late to say this, but you must stop allowing revenge to consume you. I never wanted to put you on this difficult path, but I will not allow you to use me as an excuse for the acts you commit. I can neither condone nor condemn what you'll do in the next few years since I know you are acting out of grief. However, there is a ray of light, though broken, that will enter your life, and I hope that you will embrace it._

 _I have lived a much longer life than I initially predicted for myself. I married a loving husband and had a beautiful daughter. I led my famiglia the best that I could and secured a brief but happy peace. I was able to meet and hug my precious granddaughter and watch her grow into a strong and intelligent mafia boss. Now it is your turn to live. We are very lucky to have been granted a second life after the Arcobaleno curse, and believe it or not, there is more to life than conflict and revenge. I will die with no regrets but one: that I was unable to show you how beautiful the world can be when you stop living as if you're dying. However, I'm not worried because I know that soon, someone will come into your life that will change your entire worldview._

 _With love,_

 _Luce._

Reborn sat there in silence, rereading the lines of the letter over and over again to commit them to memory. A sudden wetness on his cheeks finally made his look up, and he realized that tears were starting to roll down his face.

"I-" Reborn started to speak, but he couldn't quite find the words to express what he was feeling. She knew she would die. Luce knew that she would die. Of course, Reborn had expected her to have prior knowledge of her death, but seeing the words predicting her death written in her own handwriting had an impact that even he couldn't quite comprehend. She even knew the way that he would throw himself into revenge and nearly lose himself.

"I don't know the words that my grandmother left for you," said Yuni softly. "But I know her well enough to guess what they are. She did love you, Uncle, she really did, but she knew that she was living on borrowed time. My grandmother already had a chance to experience one great love-my grandfather-and she had been fortunate enough to live through one more. However, as much as I know it pains you to hear this, you two were never meant to find love in each other. She knew this, and I think deep inside, you knew this too."

"I did," said Reborn, surprising himself. He dug a little farther and he knew it was true. Yes, he did love her in a way that he hadn't loved anyone else before, but he always loved her in the moment. He loved her smile and her laugh and her warm eyes, but always in the present and never looking to the future. _I never envisioned a future with her,_ he realized. _Maybe because even I knew our time together was limited._

"My grandmother never wanted you to avenge her," continued Yuni. "She wanted you to _live_ and enjoy the world without always worrying about what will happen tomorrow. Uncle, look at yourself. Look at what you've become. Don't let yourself continue to be a shell of the hitman you once were. Find a reason to live past today. In fact, I think you've already found her."

 _Tsunade._ In that moment, the realization finally hit Reborn. It was a realization that had been developing for a very long time, but his obsession with the Puppeteer had blinded him to it. When Tsunade entered his life, his entire world had been knocked off its axis. Though she was supposed to be bait, she became a friend and then something even more. There was just something fascinating about her that made him want more than living from day to day, obsessed with revenge. She reminded him of the person he once was, and that his current actions were a disgrace to his reputation. With Tsunade, he felt like he could be the hitman he once was because she once again gave him something worth fighting for.

He remembered the day when he saw her sleep with such a vulnerable expression that it seemed like a cry for help. Maybe he was the one in need of help. Maybe it took two broken pieces to make a whole.

"I'm in love with Tsunade."

Yuni grinned widely. "Took you long enough," she said happily. "Uncle, when she came into your life, I saw the change in your demeanor. You smiled more. You laughed. You looked as if you genuinely enjoyed everyday with her. That's what my grandmother would've wanted. Things like revenge meant nothing to her. Your happiness was the one thing she valued more than anything else, and though you had to experience the darkest days of your life to find it, your happiness is now within your reach. Forgive me for being so blunt, but you're an idiot for not taking this chance. Stop assuming what my grandmother would've wanted. I hope she talked some sense into you in that letter."

Reborn smiled slightly. "She did." Luce already knew that he would find love in someone else, and she gave her blessing to him long before she died in Paris. He didn't know why it had taken his so long to realize this, but he did know that thanks to Tsunade, he could accept Luce's forgiveness. He wouldn't stop trying to hunt down the Puppeteer, of course, but it was time to stop using people to get there.

It was time to let Luce go.

"I can already sense the change in you, Uncle," said Yuni jokingly. She sipped the last of her coffee and then leaned back in her chair. "You know, my powers are not nearly as strong as my grandmother's," she said after a brief moment of silence. "However, usually I can still see at least a few years into the future, but I can never see very far past this moment. I think that means that the future is so uncertain that not even the power of the Sky Arcobaleno can predict it, and that the future hinges of the choices of a few select individuals."

Reborn lightly held Yuni's hand again as she stood up and straightened her hat, motioning to Gamma to move the limo closer. "You remind me so much of your grandmother," he said softly. Yuni beamed and squeezed Reborn's hand. Before she left, she smiled one more time at Reborn.

"I believe you already know the choice you must make."

Reborn sat silently as Yuni left, his mind whirling with many thoughts. Everything seemed so simple now that he knew the truth. He was so in love with Tsunade that nothing else mattered. This was why he was so jealous when he heard about her tryst with Verde. This was why he no longer wanted to sacrifice her for his revenge. For once, Reborn felt at peace.

"Reborn-san!"

Reborn turned around to see Sakamoto running towards him breathlessly with Hiroshi not far behind. He stood up and chuckled when he saw their panicked expressions. "What's going on?" he asked, amused.

Sakamoto and Hiroshi quickly ducked behind Reborn, and Hiroshi pointed a shaking finger in the direction that they came from.

"Sh-she's coming!" he stammered.

Reborn looked up to see Tsunade, dazzlingly beautiful in her new ruby red dress and makeup, sprinting down the sidewalk as if she had been born wearing those scarlet pumps. Her face was comically distorted with rage as she came barrelling towards them.

"You two little rascals!" she yelled. "Ask me again if I'm actually a woman! I dare you!"

Reborn burst out into laughter.

This was the woman he loved.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope this was alright, even though I know not much action occurred... However! The next chapter is full of excitement so I hope you'll read and review! Thanks to the reviewers for the overwhelming number of reviews I received on chapter 15!**


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